@efdss.bsky.social
The national organisation for folk music, song and dance in England. Based at Cecil Sharp House
The panel will also shape and design the programme as well as allocate small grants for local community projects across the UK.
12.12.2025 16:14 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Last week, Cambridge University Library launched the open call to recruit the community panel for an exciting new project - Black British Voices: Black British Collections - to research and design the Library’s 2027 exhibition and public programme.
Read more: bit.ly/3XN1UHL
#blackbritishmusic
Join the campaign: bit.ly/3KSBy3Y
12.12.2025 13:07 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Arts & Minds Campaign's latest research shows that the government has a long way to go to fully restore the status of the arts in schools. Despite the scrapping of the EBacc, only 7% of heads plan to increase the time spent on arts subjects in the next 2 years.
bit.ly/48QzAJo
The arts champion on his quest to preserve our disappearing craft traditions – and the scarecrow painting that left him in tears: bit.ly/44UcoJ6
12.12.2025 11:24 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
A Big Thank You to everyone who donated to our @biggive.bsky.social #ChristmasChallenge!
We reached our target a few hours before the deadline, raising slightly over £14,000, including Gift Aid. This will help to fund bursaries and other essential funding for youth folk activities across England.
Welcome to our four new trustees working together voluntarily with the team at the English Folk Dance and Song Society to promote the folk arts and support our position as the national development organisation
for the genre. Marcie Hopkins, Jeremy Iles, Angharad Cooper and Drew Hill,
bit.ly/3MmgRhz
This week's Classic Folk episode features:
@steeleye-span.bsky.social
The Watersons
@barbaradickson.bsky.social
Daoirí Farrell
Said The Maiden
Purcell's Polyphonic Party
@merryhellband.bsky.social
Sandra Kerr
Cassie and Maggie MacDonald
The Galway City Ramblers
www.efdss.org/listen
There’s still time to donate as part of @biggive.bsky.social #ChristmasChallenge
help us to raise vital funds to support our youth folk activities.
Young folk musicians will get what could be a life-changing
opportunity.
Donate by midday today, for the future of folk.
bit.ly/4pT7C6V
We’re nearly at the end of our @biggive.bsky.social #ChristmasChallenge. Thanks to your incredible support, we’re 77% of the way to our target.
Please help us to raise a final £2,710, with all donations going directly towards supporting our youth folk activities.
Donate now: bit.ly/4pT7C6V
"Tradition is tending the flame, not worshipping the ashes" - Gustav Mahler
08.12.2025 10:24 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Donate to the Big Give #ChristmasChallenge and help us make our Youth Folk activities accessible for all.
From now till Tue at noon, every £1 you donate will be DOUBLED!
Watch Carl sharing what being in the Ensemble meant to him.
Donate now: bit.ly/4pT7C6V
www.youtube.com/shorts/W5cm9...
Day 3 of our @biggive.bsky.social #ChristmasChallenge
Until Tue 9 December every donation will be doubled.
We’re hoping to raise £12,000 to ensure that our folk music activities are available to all young people
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
www.youtube.com/shorts/VHbhW...
Congratulations to Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell, from the first cohort of the National Youth Folk Ensemble, whose album Tomorrow Held has been nominated for @soundrootsuk.bsky.social Folk Album of the Year Award 2025. The winner will be unveiled at a ceremony on Tue 17 March: bit.ly/44Isk11
04.12.2025 13:43 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Here’s Leandro on Day 2 of the @biggive.bsky.social #ChristmasChallenge. Until Tue 9 December every donation will be doubled.
We’re hoping to raise £12,000 to ensure that our folk music activities are available to all young people
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
www.instagram.com/reel/DRzwwWe...
Micro Grants have been awarded to:
Holly Clarke
Good Habits
Claire Vine
Sam Partridge
Ben McElroy
The Furrow Collective
Tom Kitching
Oliver Cross
Huge thanks to Conrad and Jennifer Bailey for their continuing donations, we are delighted to announce the awardees for the sixth year of Micro Grants for Professional Folk Artists who live and work in England.
Read more about the artists and what they will do with the grant: bit.ly/4rySrkW
This week's episode of Classic Folk includes tracks by:
@caradillonsings.bsky.social & Sam Lakeman
Peggy Seeger
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Bob Dylan
@finncollinson.bsky.social
Shirley Collins & Davey Graham
@tinmanicon.bsky.social
And many more!
www.efdss.org/listen
Today is #GivingTuesday, and our #ChristmasChallenge opening day.
Support our Youth Folk activities via @biggive.bsky.social and your donation will be DOUBLED!
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Have fun dancing at the morris class Tuesdays 6:30pm at Cecil Sharp House
2 Dec is the last until 13 Jan. This week's breaktime chat will be "Winter Cheer".
www.efdss.org/learning/adu...
Image: Odiham Mummers Dec 2024, Poacher Inn
December at Cecil Sharp House!
efdss.org/whats-on
I'm working on this very thing. Personally, I want them as T-shirts. - Liberty
01.12.2025 12:56 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
The VWF has three annual deadlines for general funding. The next are:
🎵 Monday, January 5, 2026 (for work from April 2026 onwards)
🎵 Friday, May 1, 2026
🎵 Thursday, September 3, 2026
Each round is for projects to be delivered a minimum of three months after the deadline.
We’re delighted to announce this year’s Dance Mini Grant winners!
Crank Dance
The National Youth Folk Troupe of England (NYFTE)
Magnetic Northeast
Poppy Bastin’s Maypole Dancers
Folk Factory Dance – Sheffield
Find out more: bit.ly/3Mqf9eJ
Sign up to easyfundraising and when you shop online with your favourite retailers this Black Friday and Christmas, they'll donate to us!
It's free and your shopping won't cost you any extra - the retailers you shop with will donate, not you!
join.easyfundraising.org.uk/folk/zp7ggx/...
Deadline approaching....
Last call for papers for our Broadside Day 2026.
Deadline is 1 December.
The Broadside Day is the annual one-day conference for people interested in street literature in all its fascinating aspects.
Find out more: bit.ly/3J47SQI
This week in the English Country Dance class I'm keen to explore great dances from more modern times with the class with a couple of old ones too. I hope lots of you can come. You don't need a partner, just your dancing shoes. See you on Thursday! - Mary Panton
www.efdss.org/whats-on/28-...
