Sunday 26th April We were blessed with the weather again as the “Tune-Up” roadshow rolled into Briston Three Horseshoes for another bout of local traditional music, song and step dancing, a pub which has quite a lot of relevant history as it was run by famed step dancer Dick Hewitt years ago. A lovely setting of the open-sided pavilion in the garden was the backdrop for another few hours music-making in time-honoured manner. Quite a throng filled the pavilion area, and spilled out into the neighbouring tables, in the sunshine.
We had a selection of the local tunes of various types, with a fair amount of people joining the Unthank Irregulars on a wide variety of instruments: trombone and guitar-banjo as well as the more usual fiddles, whistles and concertinas. Dancing dolls there were a-plenty, and honourable mention must be made to Sheila Park, not just for her wonderful songs but also for bringing and playing a doll made for her by Harry Cox. Also plenty of step dancing, as the tunes inspired dancers to get up; lovely to see a few spontaneous attempts from some teenagers in the wings too. Once again, it was wonderful to have the couple-dancing of Monica Rackham and Barry Mobbs, polkas and waltzes as well as the stepdances.
Full band sets were interspersed with the occasional dulcimer solo, or dulcimer-led set, and we were fortunate enough to have two players, Tom Knights, with tunes learned from his grandfather Reg Reader, as well as our usual stalwart Richard Blake: quite a tour-de-force when playing together. Some traditional songs, mostly of local provenance, rounded out an enjoyable afternoon and, once again, it was gratifying to see so many local people enjoying the spectacle and some curious enough to want to find out more about this local heritage.
May will see us in Erpingham Spread Eagle – on Sunday 17th – for more of the same. Also, if anyone is at a loose end on Sunday 24th, the Unthank Irregulars are playing at Melton Park fete (1.30-4.00). Do come and join us (to play if you wish) in the beautiful surroundings of the Norman estate church. Chris Holderness, April 2026
Welcome to Traditional Music Day 2026! Taking place all over Stowmarket on Saturday 19 September (with a free pre-festival session to get you started on Friday 18 September, hosted by Rosewood with early guest arrivals) – get in touch on tmd@eatmt.org.uk if you have any questions before booking.
Events as part of Traditional Music Day happen in multiple venues around Stowmarket – please check the programme (coming soon) to find out where individual events are taking place!
Individual event tickets will be available on the door throughout the day, with most priced at £7 – if you’re hoping to be at more than two events, a full day ticket will likely work out better value for you.
Full day tickets give you access to any and all daytime events, plus the evening folk club featuring Peta Webb & Ken Hall, Arthur Knevett, and Maggie Moore & Stan Bloor.
The evening concert at the John Peel Centre (Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith, Nick Hart, Bryony Griffith & Alice Jones, and Peter & Barbara Snape) and the evening dance (Flowers & Frolics with caller Simon Diegan) are both ticketed separately – and if you have a full day ticket you’ll get a discount.
This year the Trust held three Afternoons of Music, Song and Dance:
Garboldisham – Sunday 23rd March 2025
Wortwell – Sunday 15th June 2025
Coddenham – Sunday 12th October 2025
The afternoons were well attended and full of East Anglian tunes and dances and of course, lots of jig dolls! Huge thanks to all the brilliant volunteers who helped make these events a success!
Photos from the Coddenham event, by Eammon Andrews
Mike and June Crisp, Adrian and Sue Carlton
Jannine, Jig, Genevieve, David and Luke
Doreen West O’Connor
Ron Ross
Huge thanks to our wonderful volunteers, including Jan and Rita!
This year we held three Afternoons of Music, Song and Dance, at Garbolisham, Wortwell and Coddenham. To read our full report on these events, click HERE.
Stepdance Day
Sunday 27th July 2025
The trust had a great time on 27th July at The Compasses in Littley Green for Stepdance day. We enjoyed seeing lots of new faces and old ones at these workshops. Read the full report of the day HERE.
Folk East
21, 22, 23rd August 2025
This year the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust had a big presence at Folk East, where we were running lots of free drop-in workshops and activities. Read the report HERE.
Bungay Folk Festival
5, 6, 7th September 2025
We were delighted to be at Bungay Folk Festival this year! Read the report HERE.
Traditional Music Day 2025
Saturday 27th September 2025
Traditional Music Day 2025 marked 25 years of The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust, and we celebrated with music, dance, sessions, talks, films, workshops and more across Stowmarket town centre. Read the full report by Alan Bearman HERE.
Blyth Voices Book Launch
Thursday 9th October 2025
Overlooking the beach on Southwold’s East Cliff the Sailors’ Reading Room was the ideal setting for Katie Howson’s presentation celebrating the publication of the 2024 revised edition of Blyth Voices – Folk Songs collected in Southwold by Ralph Vaughan Williams and George Butterworth in 1910. Read the report by Eammon Andrews on this event HERE.
Step dance and Jig doll Afternoon
Sunday 9th November 2025
Our annual Step dance and Jig Doll afternoon at Wingfield Barns was a brilliant day of dancing, music, tuition and talks. Read the report by Eammon Andrews HERE.
Sunday 9th November 2025, Wingfield Barns, Wingfield, Suffolk
Left photo – Dom Smith on the stepping board, Lindsay Want playing melodeon
Right photo – the DVD cover for Neil Lanham’s film – Kenny Hambling arriving from Hoxne
About 70 people came along for this varied and informal afternoon of participation and entertainment. Wingfield Barns last hosted an EATMT event in 2024 with “More than Melodeons” and we were very pleased to be offered this attractive rural venue free of charge on this occasion.
Neil Lanham’s film “The Last of Old England”, although filmed as recently as 2013 really does seem to tell a tale of times past. Sadly, several of the local characters featured, regulars at Worlingworth Swan Sunday afternoon get togethers, have since gone too, including Percy West, James Abbott, Dusty Smith, Billy Heffer and Kenny Hambling, all of whom had regularly attended EATMT’s Stepdance Days when held at this very pub.
It was nevertheless great to have Doreen West O’Connor, Dom Smith and Robert Hunt, all featured in the film, join us at Wingfield.
15 to 20 participants came “on board” for Ethan Beal’s step dancing instructional session, some with experience and others completely new to it. There was then good opportunity for everyone to “have a step” in an informal session in the foyer, and also to have a go with jig dolls. Thanks are due to Ethan; to Andrew Collins and Chris Holderness for leading the local traditional tunes in the foyer, to Lindsay Want for leading the music for stepping in the instructional session, and to Kate Batchelor for bringing along some jig dolls and chatting with anyone interested in making or buying one, and for demonstrating how they’re made and used. Special mention for Debbie Sanger who travelled up from her home in Devon specially for the day. Debbie is a keen step dancer and is on the management team at the annual Dartmoor Folk Festival which is very well worth visiting, and where you could expect to see the particular Dartmoor style of step dancing.
Special Guest Terry Summers had travelled up from his home in Hertfordshire to tell us by way of an illustrated talk about his colourful and multi-faceted life in folk music and dance, plus his model making and his love of mechanical dolls. He brought along some of his collection including “John Willy” and “Happy Fanny” and also the two Mr. Jollyboy jig dolls he has owned for many years. Belying his modest delivery, it soon becomes clear that Terry was an excellent dancer, a hobby he enjoyed for several decades, having been instrumental in setting up folk dance groups in Sussex and London, and taking part in display teams at numerous EFDSS events. He is also an accomplished musician and played for many years in dance bands. One of his slides showed his band The Ranchers, who were contemporaries of The Yetties and The Spinners, in a procession at the Sidmouth Folk Festival back in the 1970s. At 91 he has more or less retired. It was an honour for EATMT to have Terry as guest for what was to be his final public presentation. Many thanks are due to Terry and to Terry’s son Jeremy who helped with the technical set up.
Photo – Terry Summers with dolls, books and items from his collection
An Appeal on behalf of Terry please. Terry lost touch with his first dance partner Jennifer, pictured above, some years ago. He believes she moved to East Anglia, married name Jennifer Baylisor Bayliss, and would like to trace her if possible. Replies in confidence please by email to jannine@eatmt.org.uk or to eammonandrews@gmail.com
For anyone interested in jig dolls and their history “The Brightest of Entertainers” written by Katie Howson and Pat Pickles is available direct from EATMT, £10.00 plus postage and packing. It was great to have other jig doll makers along to the event including Julian Rowe and Peter Cousins.
Unpainted new jig dolls are also available to purchase from EATMT. For anyone interested in having a new and “ready to dance” jig doll to their own design these can be ordered and purchased from Kate Batchelor. www.kate-batchelor.co.uk
Doreen West O’Connor and Ethan Beal
Erica and her friend, and Judy, behind the very popular café bar
Kate Batchelor, Artist and Jig Doll maker
Lindsay Want, EATMT’s jig dolls, and Julian Rowe, jig doll maker and enthusiast
