NEWS FROM AMBERLEY

More than thirty enthusiastic South Downs Folk Singers attended Amberley Chalk Pits Museum's first ever Arts and Music Festival on Saturday 29th June. The occasion was a very pleasant one and made all the more enjoyable by the lovely warm sunny weather. Throughout the day various music groups, morris men and solo artists played, sang and danced in various locations throughout the site. Towards the end of the afternoon SDFS luminary Ann Feloy and her son Sam performed their special songs about shepherds' smocks, woolworking, blacksmiths and Horsham gingerbread to rapturous applause in Humphrey's Barn. This was followed by the South Downs Folk Singers singing their songs in the open air to a large and appreciative audience.

Songs we sang included On Sussex Hills, the West Sussex Drinking Song, Twanky Dillo, the Sussex Wedding Song, Rosebuds in June and Jolly Good Song. Shortly after this we joined the parade of singers and dancers which made its way up to the White Pit arena for the Grand Finale.

Alan Wheeler, whose excellent folk group Shipwrecked had performed earlier in the festival, was prevailed upon to lead the singing of Simon & Garfunkel's 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy) and Chris Hare and Ann Feloy performed their rendition of Ewan McColl's Paddy works on the Railway with everyone joining in with the choruses and doing the actions (corduroy britches, pulling the switches, dodging the hitches!).

I think it fair to say that a great time was had by one and all! Our sincere thanks must go to the Museum for putting on such a successful event and to Ruth Dewdney and her team of organisers for inviting us to participate.

Here's to us doing it all again in 2014!

Dave Garrard our Roving SDFS reporter!