There’s some other, more chatty, news over on my News page, or just read on for gigs.
2025 dates
Saturday 1st March 2025 Launch of the revised Blyth Voices book t.b.c.
Tuesday 11th March 2025 Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Lecture – ‘Up from the Sea, Up from Town’ – Singing in Southwold, Suffolk (Zoom)
Wednesday 2nd April 2025 Stowupland Local History Group – ‘All Aboard the Charabanc’ presentation
Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd June 2025 English Country Music Weekend, Whitchurch, Shropshire
Friday 1st – 8th August 2025 Sidmouth Folk Week, Devon
Saturday 16th August 2025 White Horse Folk Festival, Oxfordshire – PolkaWorks
Sunday 17th – Friday 22nd August 2025 Whitby Folk Week, Yorkshire
Saturday 23rd – Monday 25th August Shrewsbury Folk Festival – PolkaWorks
Saturday 27th September 2025 Traditional Music Day Stowmarket, Suffolk
Saturday 4th October 2025 Ceilidh with PolkaWorks, Stamford, Lincolnshire
2024 dates
Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd March 2024 Moreton Singing Weekend, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire
Friday 15th March 2024 Knees Up Ceilidh @ Cecil Sharp House, Camden, London NW1- PolkaWorks
Saturday 6th April 2024 A Feast from the East – Traditional Song Forum day meeting in Stowmarket, Suffolk – I will be giving a new presentation: “Fred Whiting – A Life Through Songs”.
Friday 2nd – 9th August 2024 Sidmouth Folk Festival including a ceilidh or two with PolkaWorks Saturday 17th – Friday 23rd August 2024 Whitby Folk Week
Saturday 21st September 2024 Traditional Music DayStowmarket, Suffolk
Tuesday 31st December 2024 Unicorn Ceilidhs with PolkaWorks
2023 dates
Saturday 2nd September 2023 Traditional Music Day Stowmarket, Suffolk
I will be giving a talk about Suffolk singing and music called “All Aboard the Charabanc” – it’s a fun presentation where we make a virtual journey around a number of pubs in the Mid Suffolk area known for their singing and listen to the singers and musicians from each location. I will also be hosting a pub session on the Friday night.
Saturday 5th August- Friday 11th August 2023 Sidmouth Folk Festival:
Thirsty Work – folk songs from the Cotswolds on BBC radio in 1940 – a talk focussing on the two Cotswolds programmes, which reveal some entertaining and unexpected stories – audio-visual presentation. (Saturday 5th, 5pm, Arts Centre)
Grand Ceilidh Night with Friends of Token Women – core members of Token Women are joined by guest musicians (including me) in a special event in aid of Cancer Research. (Monday 7th, 7.30, Blackmore Gardens Marquee)
Traditional Night Out – with Roger Digby – airing some of our eclectic repertoire! (Sunday 6th & Thursday 10th, Arts Centre). We’re also the “pit band” at the Volunteer one day (Sunday 6th, 12pm).
Saturday 19th August – Friday 25th August 2023 Whitby Folk Week:
Thirsty Work – folk songs from Yorkshire on BBC radio in 1940 – a talk focussing on the two Yorkshire programmes, including a delve into local customs and choirs – audio-visual presentation. (Sunday 20th August, 12-1.30, Coliseum).
Traditional Night Out – with Michael Sheehy (Saturday 19th, 8pm, Flowergate Hall) and Michael, Alan Block and Roger Digby (Friday 25th, 8pm, Flowergate Hall) – airing some of our Sliabh Luachra repertoire!
Taffy’s Tunes & Tales (Sunday 20th, 7pm, Unitarian Chapel)
Harmonica Club – with Simon Joy (Monday 21st, 11.30am)
Traditional Song Forum Concert – don’t worry, I won’t be singing! The guest list is chosen from people who have given talks for the Traditional Song Forum (Tuesday 22nd, 2.30-5pm, Flowergate Hall)
Concert – with Roger Digby (Tuesday 22nd, 8pm-11.20pm, Rifle Club)
Veteran Records – a tribute to the work of my late husband, John Howson, featuring people who recorded on the Veteran label – Roisin White, Rob Say, Will Noble, Michael Sheehy and friends including Barbara and Peter Snape and others (Thursday 3pm-5pm, Rifle Club). N.B. There will also be a stall selling Veteran recordings in the Craft Market at the Leisure Centre all week.
Saturday 18th February 2023: Lancashire Wallopers Workshop Weekend, Leyland, Lancashire – music workshops and “Back to the 80s” ceilidh – PolkaWorks
Saturday 18th March 2023: EFDSS Gold Badge Award ceilidh for Lawrence Heath, Godalming, Surrey – PolkaWorks
Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd April 2023: Melodeons in Wensleydale, Yorkshire – melodeon workshops and concert.
Saturday 5th August – Friday 11th August 2023: Sidmouth Folk Festival, Devon – performances with Roger Digby, and talks.
Saturday 19th August – Friday 25th August 2023: Whitby Folk Week, Yorkshire – performances with Michael Sheehy, Roger Digby and Alan Block, harmonica workshop with Harmonica UK, and talks.
Saturday 2nd September 2023: Traditional Music Day, Stowmarket, Suffolk – talk about singing and music in Suffolk.
2022 dates
Friday 1st April 2022: Dance Folkus, Woodbridge, Suffolk – PolkaWorks
Saturday 10th September 2022: Traditional Music Day, Stowmarket, Suffolk [cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth].
Saturday 26th November 2022: Vaughan Williams in East Anglia conference, Stowmarket, Suffolk – research updates from myself and various other presenters, run by the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust.
For personal reasons, 2022 was more-or-less a year out for me.