The Holmfirth Festival of Folk is urgently seeking local support to ensure its continued success.
The Festival, now in its 7th year, regularly brings a large number of visitors to the town.
The event is a big date on the Holmfirth calendar, and many local businesses rely on the lively atmosphere and out-of-town visitors it brings to add a welcome boost to trade.
However, in recent years cutbacks in available grants have put a damper on the amount of money coming in to support the festival.
Nick Mason, of the Nook Brewhouse outlines the problems facing Festival organisers: “This year we urgently need to find at least another £200 to help towards the cost of traffic management for the Saturday parade.
“The parade is a spectacular highlight of the Festival, bringing large crowds onto the streets of Holmfirth. It would be a real shame for us to lose this focal point of the Festival’s timetable.”
“We are looking for the support of local people or businesses to ensure we can continue in style this year. If anybody can donate funds to the Festival it would help ensure continued success and would be much appreciated by the Festival committee and the town traders alike.”
The Nook Brewhouse, along with a very dedicated band of volunteers; local townspeople and traders are currently pulling out all the stops to make sure this year’s Festival continued success.
Nick says “We are hoping that local people can come forward and be generous to help us keep this unique and thriving Festival going throughout these times of austerity. It would be unfortunate for the Festival to fall victim to outside factors when so much hard work goes into planning and organising the event and so many people get great enjoyment from the weekend.
“The Brewhouse is doing all it can, but we could really do with some extra help from anyone else who feels they can contribute. Volunteering can be a great way to enhance a CV”
The Folk Festival is also looking for volunteer stewards to help with some of the best events of the festival including the Family Fringe event; Bread and Butter theatre; Family Ceilidh; Punch and Judy; Appalachian Flatfoot workshop; Schools Concert in the Parish Church and the Young Persons open mic at Brambles.
The Festival of Folk is running from 11th-13th of May, and includes a program packed full of events suitable for all tastes; the 7th year promises great things.
Among the packed programme, is the Holme Valley Sharing Memories (HVSM). A group dedicated to sharing the tales of the older to the younger to keep the stories alive for future generations. Ensuring the re-telling includes schools visits, reminiscence projects, films and other creative art projects. For the Folk Festival, ‘Something Old Something New! Songs for the Holme Valley’ will be at the Holmfirth Parish Church, Saturday 12th May 2pm -3pm. Celebrating the history of the Holme Valley with a collection of new folk songs plus some old favourites revived, such as ‘Pratty Flowers’, the Holme Valley version of ‘This is Your Land’ and many others including a brand new song about Fenella the Holmfirth Tigress. Songs are written and performed by Roger Davies, members of HVSM, and pupils from Holmfirth High School, Holmfirth Junior and Infants (Nabb), and Upperthong Junior and Infant School. Best of all…admission is free!
Programmes are £1.50 and are available from a sizable amount of retailers and pubs in Holmfirth. The folk festival committee would like to extend special thanks and appreciation to Phil Jenkinsons for his hard work and dedication to the festival in the face of severe health adversity.
If you are interested in supporting the Holmfirth Folk Festival, please contact 07841646308 or commitee@holmfirthfestivaloffolk.co.uk. For More information on the Holme Valley Sharing Memories contact Sally Brown on 01484683756.