Good news for Tenterden Folk Festival

 

With all the talk of recession, business closures and rising unemployment it is important to stop and consider the good news.  We are pleased to confirm that plans for this year’s Tenterden Folk Festival are progressing extremely well.  The Festival will take place from Friday 2^nd to Sunday 4^th October with events taking place in a variety of venues throughout the town including The Tenterden Club and the adjacent St Mildred’s Church Hall, as well as the Woolpack, the White Lion and the Vine. The craft fair will, as usual, take place on Saturday and Sunday in the Assembly Rooms of the Town Hall with more stalls in the High Street.  Over thirty five Morris sides and other folk dance teams, many new to the Festival, have already signed up for the weekend and will dancing around the town.

 

Grants and donations:

The Trust is also pleased to report that we have been awarded a “Grassroots Grant” through the Kent Community Foundation which delivers the Grassroots scheme for Kent and Medway on behalf of the Office of the Third Sector (OTS).  Grassroots is a new and innovative scheme of grant-making offering excellent opportunities for small voluntary and community organisations across the county.  The grant will help us to promote the Festival and upgrade some of our equipment.

 

In addition we have also received a small donation from The Concertina Charitable Trust, a registered charity which makes grants to charitable bodies which provide musical entertainment for the elderly which not only brightens up their lives, but also provides a therapeutic benefit to their health and well-being.  Attending Tenterden Folk Festival as a participant or just to watch the dancers or listen to the music certainly fulfils these objectives.  It should however also be noted that not all the people who attend the Festival could be described as elderly, many are young!

 

The prospects are good:

Several recent surveys of people’s intentions have shown that they still intend to take time out and attend folk festivals; in fact with the recession and poor exchange rates, more people are saying that attending folk festivals in England will be there their main holiday in 2009 and the number of overseas visitors is also expected to be up.  In fact some people have already bought their tickets for Tenterden Folk Festival 2009 and booked their pitch on the campsite.  This could offer a welcome boost to the local economy with the extra visitors staying in Tenterden and spending their holiday money in the local pubs, clubs, restaurants, hotels and shops. 

 

Book now:

To buy your tickets, book you craft fair or music fair pitch, place an advert in the enlarged souvenir programme or if you would like to be otherwise involved in the Festival contact us now.

 

Festival information:

More details of Tenterden Folk Festival 2009 guests, accommodation and camping are now being posted on our website at www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk.

 

To receive our regular email updates send an email to info_at_tenterdenfolkfestival_dot_org_dot_uk with "add to festival news list" in the subject box.

 

Alan Castle – Festival Director

 

 

Alan Castle

 

Folk Spots

alan_at_folkspots_dot_co_dot_uk

www.folkspots.co.uk

 

Tenterden Folk Festival

info_at_tenterdenfolkfestival_dot_org_dot_uk

www.tenterdenfolkfestival

 

 

Oyster girls & hovelling boys

Folk songs from Kent Vol. 3 (2008)

 

A new CD from Folk Spots and Steel Carpet Music featuring Pete Castle, Andy Turner, Bob Kenward and Roger Resch, The Millen Family, Marian Button and Dave Mason.