Wimborne Folk Festival gets council support

EAST Dorset District Council is to support this year's Wimborne Minster Folk Festival with funding of up to £14,000.

The council's community committee has unanimously agreed to continue to back Wimborne's annual folk festival, now with a new name and a new team of local volunteer organisers.

The council's support includes a £2,000 grant towards the running of the festival as well as street cleaning and waste collection costs of up to £12,000.

The funding is the final instalment of a three-year agreement made with the festiva's previous organisers, who retired last year. At its meeting in Wimborne last week, the committee also agreed to look at future funding of the festival alongside bids for grant funding in 2014/15.

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Councillors said they were impressed with the business plan presented by the new festival organisers, which sets out a vision for a new event in a spirit of folk, family and fun that offers the very best in folk music and dance while bringing a range of shared benefits to the community of Wimborne.

A festival of folk music and dance has taken place annually in Wimborne since 1980. The event, always held on the second weekend of June, regularly attracts more than 25,000 people into the town.

After the festival's founders announced their retirement following the 2012 event, East Dorset District Council held a community meeting to discuss a potential future festival. At the meeting, local residents, business owners, councillors and people involved with local folk music and dance agreed that a future festival should be folk-based, work closely with businesses in the town and develop as a more family orientated event.

As a result, a new committee of local residents with a diverse range of skills and experience was formed to develop a new folk festival for Wimborne. Earlier this year, the organisers of the newly named Wimborne Minster Folk Festival announced that the 2013 festival would take place over the weekend of 7-9 June.

Concerts will be held at the Allendale Community Centre, with performers including BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winner Blair Dunlop, The Albion Band and ColvinQuarmby. Weekend and individual concert tickets are available now from the festival website, www.wimbornefolk.co.uk

The weekend will also feature a colourful array of Morris, Appalachian and other folk dance displays around the town, a range of interactive craft, dance and music workshops for children and adults, indoor and outdoor children's activities, music sessions, stalls and much more.

The festival is also being supported by sponsors including the Wimborne Business Improvement District (BID) and Wimborne Minster Town Council.

Mike Carhart-Harris, chairman of the Wimborne Minster Folk Festival committee, said: "It's great to receive such a resounding endorsement from councillors. We want this to be a truly community-led and family focussed event that is safe and fun for all while promoting our rich folk traditions to new generations.

"Thanks to this support from East Dorset District Council and our other sponsors, we can continue to develop a fantastic event for 2013 and beyond."

Mike added: "We are keen to hear from people who would like to volunteer as stewards over the festival weekend. We also have pitches available for charity stalls. If you'd like to get involved, please see our website for details and drop us an email."

For more information about the Wimborne Minster Folk Festival visit www.wimbornefolk.co.uk