Jim Malcolm

Hello folks, just a wee report on a festival I appeared at down in the south of England last week. It was at a lovely little town called Wickham (Jane Austin fans will surely have heard of it) which lies in the flinty Meon Valley between Southhampton and Portsmouth. My Dad lived near there for many years before he retired from running a school so I am fairly familiar with the area. The head organiser is a great guy called Peter Chegwin who regularly attends events in Scotland and has many Scottish acts at his festivals. He is very keen to look after the artists and put me up at the wonderful New Place Hotel (the handsome and historic brick mansion house behind its own cricket pitch). The weather was extremely hot and so people were sheltering within two of the large tents enjoying the great music. Having your own seat was an absolute must. It was a very pleasant experience, very well run and friendly. I don’t do much in England these days, but this was very encouraging and they certainly love their folk music!