TEIGNMOUTH Midsummer Folk Festival has been given an £8,000 cash boost thanks to Awards for All. The £8,250 grant means that the popular festival, now in its ninth year, can secure a top weekend from Friday, June 22 to Sunday 24. Uncertainty over the future of the festival's main venue, the Carlton Theatre, was becoming a headache for organisers. But the cash means that the committee can hire a marquee to host many of the festival events. The award was granted to fund a project called A Traditional Devon Year, an ambitious production that will illustrate in song, music and dance the longstanding customs, folklore and traditions found within Devon. Musicians and singers will be involved in the development of the production and members of the public will be welcome to join the Festival Choir, which will play an important role in performance. A Traditional Devon Year is being performed on Sunday, June 22, in the festival marquee on the Den. Artistes already booked for the weekend event are the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award's Duo of the Year, Spiers and Boden, acclaimed Irish-influenced trio Last Nights Fun, Scottish singer-songwriter Ian Bruce, Plymouth-based shanty crew Hanging Johnny, local ceilidh band Rumpus plus the somewhat surreal Fabulous Fezheads. The Dambuskers, a hit at last year's festival, will again be supplying high-energy songs and music together with the first time appearance of north Devon band Marisco. Folk 2 will host the popular playford dances with caller Robert Moir. The festival will also include a range of workshops, song and music sessions and storytelling.
