Here is a contribution to the on-going discussion on getting younger performers into folk clubs......

We decided at Folk at The Royal Oak in Lewes that we needed to be pro-active, to seek out young people who we knew perform our music but not in folk clubs and say that we were mounting an evening that was aimed at them.
Our decision to try to promote this evening, one of our occasional Open Nights which took place on 7th February, as an evening aimed mainly at younger performers who had not performed for us before was a great success, We had around 60 people there and ten young performers who had never been along to our venture before took part interspersed with our regulars. Three hours long, there was not time to fit everyone in - but the youngsters had first call.

They were looking at the the posters displaying our coming programme. One of them said to me, "Wow! Have you really got Bruce Molsky coming here?" Another said, "Is that right? Leon Rosselson?"

Well, yes it is.