Muddy good time had by all at Beverley Folk Festival

HUNDREDS braved the mud this weekend to enjoy Beverley Folk Festival.

More than 4,000 people were at Beverley Leisure Centre to listen to performances by acts from across Europe.

But despite the festival's international flavour, organisers said they were very keen to keep Beverley groups involved.

Festival director Matt Snowden said: "We started with Longcroft School for the opening concert on Friday.

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"We did a songwriting exercise during the day, then they sang what they had written in the evening."

Sixth-formers from the school also volunteered as stewards to keep things going smoothly.

Connor Ferguson, 17, is head boy at Longcroft. This was his second year volunteering at the festival.

"It was fantastic," he said. "The weather wasn't perfect, but that made the festival better.

"It's really good to be able to experience the volunteering side, but also experience some great acts as well."

The organisers emphasised Beverley's family-friendly atmosphere.

Co-director Jim Pybus said: "Our patron is Mike Harding from Radio 2, and he described it as the best small, family-friendly folk festival in the country.

"With it having gone on for 29 years, there are people who came to our first festival now bringing along their children and grandchildren.

"We're also very keen on sustainability – there was a solar panel to power some of the food stands."

More than 30 traders, mostly from East Yorkshire, had stands at the festival – and county brewer Wold Top even produced a special Festival Bitter.

Performer Laura Carrivick, of Bath, played with her band the Carrivick Sisters.

She said the festival had been a highlight of her year so far.

"It was good fun – a really good festival," she said. "There were nice friendly crowds and they filled the marquee when we played."

Matt said variety was the key to a successful festival. He said: "Folk means different things to different people and you have got to have the diversity and the quality. There's always something for every taste of folk at the Beverley festival."

The organisers were also keen to involve young musicians by giving them a chance to perform.

Matt said: "We wanted to give young people the chance to bring folk alive and make it relevant to a new generation."