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04 Apr 12 - 05:54 AM (#3333485) Subject: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,Derek Schofield Press release issued today: NATIONAL PROJECT TO WIDEN THE REACH OF FOLK MUSIC & DANCE GIVEN GO AHEAD Learning programmes and world's biggest online portal of English folk music and dance gets Heritage Lottery Funding A programme to create the world's biggest online portal of English folk music, song and dance manuscripts has been given the go ahead, following a funding award announced today. The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) has secured a grant of £585,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to archive, conserve and digitise materials from six archives containing some of the country's most important folk music collections and allow free public access to 58,400 digitised collection items through a new web portal. The Full English project will bring together the collections of Harry Albino, Lucy Broadwood, Clive Carey, Percy Grainger, Maud Karpeles, Frank Kidson, Thomas Fairman Ordish, Cecil Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Alfred Williams for the first time, to create the most comprehensive searchable database of British folk songs, tunes, dances and customs in the world. The Full English will also be EFDSS's biggest learning and participation programme to date, and in each of the nine regions of England will: •Work in partnership with education organisations, to increase awareness and knowledge of folk in education by training music educators and teachers, provide educational resources, regional learning events, and creative projects in primary and secondary schools and the wider community •Partner local cultural organisations to deliver community projects comprising of participatory events and concerts, archive and history projects •Carry out essential conservation work to the collections, preserving them for generations to come, and training volunteers in archive and conservation work •Provide training and volunteering opportunities to up to 223 individuals and involve around 20,000 people in activities, performances and events Katy Spicer, Chief Executive of EFDSS, said: "The Full English is the single most important development for these collections that together make up a unique reflection of a major aspect of the cultural heritage of England. "This is a far reaching project that will enable people from across the world to access English folk music, songs and dances via the internet, and the conservation work will preserve the original collections for generations to come. "Working in partnership with cultural and education organisations will allow us to deliver a range of community and school activities, introducing folk music to a new audience." Katy added: "We are very grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the funding which will safeguard the future of these important collections and bring folk music to a generation that may otherwise never had heard of it." The cultural partnership organisations are: Cecil Sharp House, London, where EFDSS is based; Sound Connections in London; SoundLINCS and Lincoln Drill Hall in Lincolnshire; Cambridge City Council/Cambridge Folk Festival; Folkworks/The Sage Gateshead; The Met in Bury; The Stables in Milton Keynes; Colston Hall/Bristol Music Trust in Bristol; mac (the Midlands Arts Centre) in Birmingham and Opera North in Leeds. EFDSS will be digitising its collections held within the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) at Cecil Sharp House, and significant folk collections from the archives of project partners: the British Library in London, Clare College in Cambridge, The Mitchell Library in Glasgow, The Folklore Society Library and Archive at University College London, and the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. Now funding has been agreed a programme of conservation, digitisation and cataloguing will start. The project is also being supported by the National Folk Music Fund. ENDS For more information or images please contact press@efdss.org or Sophia Linehan (Director of Marketing and Communications) E: sophia@efdss.org / T: 020 7485 2206 ext.39 NOTES TO EDITORS 1. About the Heritage Lottery FundUsing money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported over 30,000 projects, allocating £4.7billion across the UK. Website: www.hlf.org.uk 2. For over 100 years the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), and its parent organisations, have been preserving, protecting, disseminating and promoting the English folk arts. EFDSS is the national folk arts development organisation for England, aiming to place the indigenous folk arts of England at the heart of our cultural life. Through programmes of performance, outreach and education at its headquarters, Cecil Sharp House in north London, and around the country, EFDSS seeks to support folk artists' and practitioners' development. EFDSS aims to promote the best of folk arts through a range of mediums including dance, music, song, film, exhibitions, and publications. Cecil Sharp House is also home to the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library – the national folk music library and archive – which contains a vast collection of books, manuscripts, films and audio-visual materials, serving as a touchstone for anybody working in the folk arts. In March 2011 EFDSS received confirmation of Arts Council England National portfolio funding. Additional support for the Vaughan Williams Library is provided by the RVW Trust and, for EFDSS' Education programme, by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. EFDSS is a charity registered in England and Wales, no. 305999. For more information, visit www.efdss.org |
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04 Apr 12 - 06:01 AM (#3333488) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: MartinRyan Good news! Regards |
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04 Apr 12 - 06:05 AM (#3333490) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Vic Smith Brilliant news. |
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04 Apr 12 - 07:03 AM (#3333512) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: RoyH (Burl) Yes indeed, brilliant news. Congrats to all who worked to obtain this grant, and success to those who will work to put it to such good use. Bravo EFDSS. Burl |
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04 Apr 12 - 07:11 AM (#3333514) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Vic Smith £585,400! - Bloody hell! Having Alan James as the new chairman can't have hindered this decision. More good news for EFDSS as Cecil Sharp House gets a high ranking in a "Time Out" poll of Top London Venues:- The EFDSS website says of this:- Time Out London has revealed its first annual list of London's Top 20 Live Music Venues, as voted for by Londoners on timeout.com/london. Tim Arthur?? Son of Dave? Can anyone confirm this? |
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04 Apr 12 - 07:14 AM (#3333516) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Paul Davenport Amazing and about time too. Many congratulations to Katie and the team for their hard work and justly deserved result. |
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04 Apr 12 - 07:33 AM (#3333523) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: The Sandman yes, excellent news. |
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04 Apr 12 - 07:44 AM (#3333526) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: RTim Great news - keep up this very useful work. Tim Radford |
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04 Apr 12 - 08:30 AM (#3333551) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: SteveMansfield Very well done to all concerned! |
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04 Apr 12 - 08:58 AM (#3333557) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Tradsinger Excellent news. I presume that this is the "Full English" project and that the material put on line will be the original manuscripts? Tradsinger |
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04 Apr 12 - 10:08 AM (#3333590) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Steve Gardham A very welcome piece of news. Well done to all concerned. |
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04 Apr 12 - 10:25 AM (#3333600) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray You know, I've never yet met a folkie who did the National Lottery - most of my enlightened folk friends disparage it as a tax on the stupid... |
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04 Apr 12 - 10:35 AM (#3333602) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,John from "Elsie`s Band" I can think of no better way to spend lottery money except, perhaps, on charities that are truly beneficial. Well done to EFDSS for their efforts. |
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04 Apr 12 - 01:53 PM (#3333685) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,Derek Schofield yes, this is the Full English project. I do the lottery every week ... never win anything though ... pleased to think that my money is going to a worthy cause though :-) Derek |
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04 Apr 12 - 04:19 PM (#3333747) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: selby Fantastic news well done to all concerned does this mean I will never have to go to C Sharp house Happy to support the lottery and won a tenner a few times, I know of enough projects that have benefited from the lottery that my £2 a week could never have supported with enough donations. Therefore I am stupid? |
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04 Apr 12 - 04:58 PM (#3333758) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Steve Gardham Wow! I'm 3x more stupid than you, Selby! |
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05 Apr 12 - 04:20 AM (#3333899) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Alan Day Great news and very well done to the staff of EFDSS for achieving this grant. If the money is spent wisely it should enhance Folk Music for generations to come. Al |
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05 Apr 12 - 04:46 AM (#3333901) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Wheatman makes my £2 a week worthwhile. Serious though, is it enough to complete the project. Gan canny Brian |
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05 Apr 12 - 04:58 AM (#3333903) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: doc.tom Great news indeed. Now if they could only add something South-west of Bristol as a cultural partner (interesting that that is where the mass of Sharp's collecting was actually done!) - Perhaps Wren Trust or Halsway Manor Society. The quote was: "Partner local cultural organisations to deliver community projects comprising of participatory events and concerts, archive and history projects." (just ignore the misuse of the English language for a moment). |
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05 Apr 12 - 05:01 AM (#3333904) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: SteveMansfield Great, incidentally, to see that The Met in Bury is one of the partner organisations. Since we moved out of Manchester we don't get up to The Met as much as we used to (or, indeed probably should, because it's a cracking venue with some excellent events and gigs): but hopefully there'll be some really good stuff there associated with the Full English project. Looking forward to reading more about this in the next EDS - again, well done to all. |
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05 Apr 12 - 07:16 AM (#3333934) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,TradFolkie What about Doc Rowe's huge archives of folk related material and recordings? What about Roy Dommett's archives of morris films and m/s. And as someone opined above what about the SW where Sharpdid a lot of collecting? |
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05 Apr 12 - 07:20 AM (#3333936) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,TradFolkie Huh - I hope that there are strict financial controls in place so that yet another over-budget over-rated sound sculpure for the Cecil Sharp Garden does soak up the hard-won funds. Incidentaly where is that monstrosity that hardly ever saw the light of day? |
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05 Apr 12 - 07:22 AM (#3333937) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST I meant to say: Huh - I hope that there are strict financial controls in place so that yet another over-budget over-rated sound sculpure for the Cecil Sharp Garden does [b]NOT[/b] soak up the hard-won funds. Incidentaly where is that monstrosity that hardly ever saw the light of day? |
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05 Apr 12 - 07:57 AM (#3333947) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,PeterC What about ........ There will always be a "what about". When I have been involved in charity collections there was always one character who would give be a lecture on how his favorite good cause was more deserving. |
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05 Apr 12 - 08:35 AM (#3333955) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Jim Moray Yes, TradFolkie, what about all those things? Doc Rowe's collection should be preserved, it's true, and I hope that that will happen in the next few years. Similarly with Roy Dommetts archive. But this is digitising and storing the collections of the most important folk song collectors of the first folk revival so that they can be freely shared and studied, and can be preserved in pristine condition forever. Those collectors went out and collected the songs so that they wouldn't die out. I don't think its an exaggeration to say that digitising and preserving them (in a form that won't rot or fade and that can be in several places at once with no danger of being damaged) will be one of the biggest landmarks in the history of the study of folk music since then, if not the single biggest. This is a very very big deal, and I'm heartened by the use of public money to do it. It's a gift to everyone, and will be immensely important for decades and possibly centuries to come. Well done to Malcolm and Katy and all at the EFDSS for such an achievement. It's not taking away from the work of Doc or Roy, and I hope that their work will be similarly preserved once day. But this is a fantastic thing to have happened and I can't believe anyone would fail to applaud it, whether they disapprove of the EFDSS in general or not. p.s. The musical sculpture you refer to wasn't paid for with EFDSS money, they were simply providing a home for it. I'm sure you know this, but... don't be so petty. |
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05 Apr 12 - 09:07 AM (#3333965) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Peter C Of course this is great news, and well done for the successful application. However, this is a 'one-off' grant not regular funding, and compared with the money that, say, Library of Congress gets from the US Government, and proportionally the money ITMA gets from the Irish Government on a regular basis, means there is still a very great deal to be done to achieve proper recognition and support for our national heritage |
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05 Apr 12 - 12:23 PM (#3334066) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: Sue Allan Fantastic news. Well done Derek, Katie, Malcolm and everyone else in writing the lottery bid - I've done those things, and it's no mean feat! |
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05 Apr 12 - 01:04 PM (#3334086) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,Derek Schofield well, thanks for the mention, but I didn't do anything to contribute! All credit to Malcolm, Katy and colleagues. EFDSS is a regularly funded arts organisation of Arts Council England, so it does get some regular funding (though not specifically for the Library). But... the recent successful projects such as Take 6, and now the Full English, not to mention the designation of the Library last year ... means that the Library is recognised for the value some of us have always been shouting about! At the moment, it's a case of success breeding success. Derek |
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05 Apr 12 - 01:24 PM (#3334092) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: The Sandman Jim Moray says p.s. The musical sculpture you refer to wasn't paid for with EFDSS money, they were simply providing a home for it. I'm sure you know this, but... don't be so petty. Jim, Tradfolkie is entitled to make a point without being accused of being petty, please explain why this is petty. I too hope the money will be spent wisely,I have no reason to think it will not, but trad folkie has a right to put his point of view and to criticise a sculpture, even if he is mistaken in thinking the EFDSS paid for it, some people are ultra defensive about any criticism of the EFDSS. congratulations to the EFDSS for getting this award, but for gods sake stop trying to stifle any criticism of EFDSS. |
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06 Apr 12 - 06:37 AM (#3334425) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: GUEST,OldNicKilby This is a fantastic result.Perhaps they could find just a little bit to preserve the collection of Brian Dawson's Lincolnshire Songs.Like Doc Rowe Brian is a "National Treasure" |
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06 Apr 12 - 12:11 PM (#3334542) Subject: RE: EFDSS Receives big Lottery Grant From: open mike This could mean some employment opportunities for some audio engineers! |