SDFS at the Fernhurst Furnace Open Day - September 14th - also CANCELLED

Very sadly the currently volatile weather, particularly the forecast for tomorrow Sunday September 14th, has taken its toll again. With few singers now available for this event we will unfortunately NOT be singing at the Fernhurst Furnace Open Day as planned, and we have given our apologies to the organisers there.

The venue and event is one of our favourites, so we're sad to miss it this year - but we wish them well for tomorrow and we look forward to singing there again in September 2026.   

Lewes Priory by Candlelight - September 13th - CANCELLED

We are very sorry to say .... 

Due to the worsening weather forecast for the weekend and the likelihood of more rain falling on already sodden ground - the "Lewes by Candlelight" event this Saturday (Sept. 13th) has been cancelled.

Plans have been postponed to the following week -  Saturday September 20th, with hopes of a drier week and a fine evening then.

South Downs Folk Singers - Annual General Meeting - October 2nd 2025

Notice of the S.D.F.S. Annual General Meeting - Thursday October 2nd 2025 

This is will be held at our most central venue - the "The Barn" in Goring, near Worthing on Thursday October 2nd 2025, starting at 7.00pm.   (The full address can be found on our "Welcome" page)

It precedes our Worthing Local Group's October session - so after a short break at around 7.45, from 8.00pm the rest of the evening will be for our singing as usual. 

Singers in all 3 of our Local Groups are invited to attend this joint event.   

(Any new singers planning to attend the Worthing session for the first time - you are very welcome too but, for this month only, please be aware of the later start time for our singing.)  

The AGM is:

A forum for sharing feedback and ideas. 

it requires us to review our Constitution - and from that to reflect on 2024/5 discuss plans for 2025/26. 

It also requires us to elect the SDFS Committee/steering group officers and members for 2025/26.  

Your contributions are invited - please let us know of anything you'd like to have on the Agenda, and even if you can't attend it can be raised on your behalf. 

And - If you would like to stand for election (to a specific role or to be a general member) please contact us as soon as possible.  

Similarly - if you want to nominate, or second the proposal of, another willing singer to join the committee - please identify your and their names to go into the ballot.  (If necessary Seconders for any nominations will be invited at the meeting).  

Voting will take place at the meeting by a show of hands and carried by the majority present.  (If you cannot attend the meeting to vote but would like to have a say on who is elected - please send us the details for your contribution to be taken into account.)

It will be great to see as many singers there as possible (the Barn is big enough to take us all!) - and we look forward to getting the essential business of the meeting done, some productive discussion and planning completed - and then still have time for another Jolly Good Sing!

 

Happy Days at the Saddlescombe Farm Open Day and and the Weald and Downland Museum

With many thanks to our hosts for inviting us, and to our singers for supporting these events.

August 30th at the National Trust's lovely Saddlescombe Farm on their Open Day ....

and then September 6th - at the Weald and Downland Living Museum's during their "Threshing" event  - and happy anniversary to them for their 55th year of opening to the public!

We still have two more opportunities to enjoy 'singing out' this September .... 

Out east at Lewes Priory by Candlelight in the evening on Saturday 13th  

(Fingers crossed it doesn't rain - the event may be moved to the 20th if the weather forecast is bad - and we'll post a notice here if that's the case.)

Then out west the next day, at the Fernhurst Furnace Open Day on Sunday 14th.

Take a look at our Diary Dates page to see details of our local group sessions, and any events we have planned, for the rest of 2025 and into 2026.  

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday September 4th 2025

Some familiar faces were absent from this month's gathering but nonetheless a valiant band of 20 singers, plus one newcomer who was welcomed to the fold, made the most of our evening at the Barn. Emily couldn't be with us but had Amaryllis kindly stepped in and (supported by Angela S from the sideline) she led us through a variety of songs likely to be sung at our September events.   "All Among the Barley"; Run of the Downs"; "The Worthing Grower" (celebrating compost rather than turmuts); "Hard Times of Old England" and last but not least, the 'usual' version of "Farmer's Toast" (after some confusion about which version, 'shortened' or otherwise, would be used).

After the break and some event notices from Henny, and from one of our newer singers Elizabeth, we resumed with a celebration song planned for use at our next event - at the Weald and Downland Museum during the weekend of their 55th Anniversary.  Rather than the usual "Happy Birthday", Amaryllis suggested we use the older version brought to us a while ago by Alan.  So a brief time was given to rehearsing the words and tune of this - before directions were given to find the words and tune for it on our Blog, to continue preparation at home.   

The seasonal story of "Tommie" ( to the tune of "Fathom the Bowl" and his apple picking adventures came next, followed in similar seasonal mood by "Michaelmas" (written by our own Amaryllis, based on the tune of "Poor Froze Gardeners").  Having not sung this since Michaelmas 2024, the details in its rhythm that differ slightly to the P.F.G's. were found to be more tricky than hoped, so after a few tries all agreed it needed more time to perfect it before airing it in public again.  We moved on with "Country Life" instead, not everyone's favourite but certainly one we know very well - and on that high note we concluded the evening! 

Thank you Amaryllis, and thanks to everyone else there too!

H.  

Revised version of Michaelmas

Amaryliss has added another verse to her song "Michealmas".  You'll find the revised lyrics and and the tune on the Songs and Recording page of this blog.  

Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday August 21st 2025

17 singers attended the Chichester Inn for a warm August SDFS get together.

Alan acknowledged that there was an event coming up for the SDFS (Amberley Chalk Pits) but that he would still like to introduce a few potential new songs for the group to try and assess. 
 
As an Autumn season opener, the group launched into "All Among the Barley" – a popular choice, some clarification about the singing of the first line was helpful.  To follow, Gordon hadn’t been able to resist composing and reciting a new version of Turnip Hoer – The Turnup Hoer was much enjoyed by all.  It was apparently inspired by the spelling in Alan’s latest email song list!  "Jim the Carter Lad" was sung with gusto and hopefully clarified that first and second note in first and third lines are the same and the word in the last verse is “right” glad.  Alan then re-introduced a potentially new song by local composer Dave Toye "England for Me".  It was agreed as a lovely song with very good words.  This was followed by a trial of "Buttercup Joe", a suitable country song which Alan led line by line in singing practice.  A group decision was made to omit the third verse to make it more concise and Steve W agreed to include this on the SDFS Blog for future reference.  "Come Stranger Come Friend" was the next possible new inclusion to the SDFS set list, although it had been listed as potential song on the Blog for some time and tried in the past.  It was felt it needed revisiting and rehearsing (including maybe, some very good low harmonies, again, these are on the Blog).  The first half finished with a good rousing version of "Oak and Ash and Thorn", on the planned set list for the forthcoming Amberley performance.
 
Henny made a few pertinent announcements about some of the future SDFS bookings to start the second half of the evening.  Following this, Alan asked for suggestions and reverted to a selection of songs that were perhaps needing a little rehearsal for the Amberley event.  "Come Write Me Down" was much enjoyed by all in two parts (men and women).  "Green Grow the Laurels" (ladies only) followed by "Lammas Carol" were tried next.  Lammas Carol tune pitch was altered from a start note of B to A following discussion with the harmony group, who felt it was too high for them.  "Bee Boys" (also planned for Amberley) was tried and sadly dropped a whole tone by the last verse.  There was some discussion about lowering the key to avoid this and a plea by Alan to really concentrate on keeping in the start key throughout the song. Dave G noted that the last line could easily drop which then led to a lower start on the next verse.  Things stayed pretty well in tune for the next renditions of "The Brisk Young Ploughboy" and "Hal and Tow" with a “silent clapping” in the latter so as not to wake the visiting SDFS dog!  The whole evening was brought to a rousing finish with a lusty rendition of "Sussex By the Sea" and looking forward to a successful afternoon at the upcoming Amberley Chalk Pits event.
 
 
Anne Sartain

Another Month or Two of Summer Events

August has got off to a good start with our lunchtime concert sing at "Christchurch" in Worthing yesterday (August 12th), which had the addition of a few Morris tunes brought by some of the talented musicians we have in our midst, led by Alan and played as the audience arrived and during an interlude in our singing.  Definitely enjoyed by all - so thank you to them, our hosts and to all our singers at this event. 

As our Diary Dates Page has listed, we have two more public performances to look forward to this month  -  at Amberley Chalk Pits Museum on Sunday the 24th for their "Taste of Sussex" event - and then at the National Trust's Saddlescombe Farm for their Open Day on the 30th. 

Having enjoyed singing at both locations in the past we are delighted to be invited back and to visit them again.  (More details and our singing times will be on the Diary Dates page as soon as confirmed.) 

We are then into September and we'll have the pleasure of singing again at the Weald and Downland Living Museum on Saturday September 6th - and at "Lewes Priory by Candlelight" in the evening on Saturday 13th (or if it rains then on the 20th instead), 

This is closely followed by Fernhurst Furnace's Open Day on Sunday September 14th.  

And as the season gradually changes towards the autumn, the apple harvest will be celebrated in Arundel's Community Orchard on Sunday September 21st, where we will be singing in the afternoon.

So join us in marking the seasons of the year and come and see us at these events in such lovely locations - and join us at our local sessions as well to enjoy our songs there too!     

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday August 7th 2025

Our August session at the Barn was supported by 28 singers for another evening of songs - for the pleasure of singing together and to polish some of the songs we will be sharing with the public at our next events (at Christchurch in Worthing on August 12th, Amberley Chalk-pits Museum on the 24th, and also likely to be used at the NT's Saddlescombe Farm on the 30th August).

Alan and chums arrived early to run through the interlude music they will be playing as part of our performance at Christchurch, then once all singers for the evening had arrived we launched with "Jim the Carter Lad", under Emily's ever genial and careful guidance, picking up and smoothing out any variations or mistakes made to the tune.  The fun of Barbara S's version of the Turmut Hoer, "The Worthing Grower" was enjoyed and invitation given to Barbara to extend it with another verse or two.  The beautiful "Oak Tree Song" followed in all it's splendour, and we sang it twice to improve the emphasis in some lines - and simply to enjoy it again!.  Alan then took the lead for "Hal an Tow" - with Angela S highlighting a recent Radio 4 programme in which it was noted as an example of a traditional song of the 'working people'. This can be felt in its celebration of May and also in the social and satirical commentary reflecting the life and times current at its inception.  

We took a break to hear David G sing a song he has recently learned "The Bonny Hawthorn", and under his careful guidance we managed to sing it through with him. There was talk of it having originated in the south, travelled north and was now reclaimed - but it is currently known as a song from the Yorkshire Dales, which was of concern to some singers.  Many folks songs, including some already in our collection, have had such mobile histories and are claimed by various regions throughout the land and even overseas - but it will need more discussion and comment from all three of our local groups before we adopt it.  Nonetheless it could be added to our 'Other Songs to Try' page on the Blog for general interest and consideration, watch this space - but it may not make an easy fit with our performance repertoire under our 'South Downs Songs' trademark!  Before the refreshment (and chat) break, Alan offered and led us through "England for Me", a song we don't often sing which celebrates all regions of the country!

After the break we resumed with "The Rambling Comber" under Alan's direction, managing all three parts in harmony.  Emily and Alan between them then supported us in polishing details of the "Lammas Carol", before we sang "Ladies Go Dancing at Whitsun", as beautiful as ever, with the gradual inclusion of men's voices added to the women's but concluding in the poignancy of only women's voices in the last refrain.

"Pleasant and Delightful" - with reminders to sing "tops'l" NOT "topsail" in the last verse - was given an airing, before Amaryllis performed the solo she will be doing on the 12th at Christchurch (albeit with support on the choruses) - "Harvest Moan" to the tune of "We Plough the Fields and Scatter".  After that the evening concluded with a vibrant South Downs Folk Singers rendition of the traditional version of "Sussex by the Sea".

Thanks to all and hope to see you at our August events - and at the Barn again in September. 

H.

Lewes Local Group Report - Monday July 21st

Fourteen singers (equal numbers male and female) joined us at the Lewes Arms, including five new singers (and a dog)  with four brought along by existing singers, and one having contacted the website. As always, our introductions at the beginning found other connections and shared interests. Many of the songs tonight were our lesser-known and seasonal ones for the upcoming autumn and harvest months so several people were coming to them new or after not having sung them for a year which made it quite equal for everyone.   

We warmed up with the easy 4-part “Harvest Round” and then others from the same season “One for the Rook”, “Fields Lie Silent” and “All Among the Barley” and the beautiful and reflective “Life of a Man”. This was followed by the jauntier “Brighton Camp” with a reminder that we use the plainer tune without the “twiddly bits” that are found in some versions, and discussion followed about the location of the camp at Whitehawk Hill and its appearance in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. We ended the first part of the evening with the sad but inspiring “Brave Eleven”, the true story of a shipwreck off Shoreham Beach. 

  

In the interval we discussed events past and present and were pleased to find we already have the numbers to go ahead at Saddlescombe Farm and Lewes Priory by Candlelight, both of which have been delightful locations in previous years. 

  

We continued with “Lammas Carol”, “Seasons Turn” (with the reminder to emphasis “oh this is the one I love best” in each verse), “Loyal Lover” (collected by Lucy Broadwood, with a delicate and unusual meandering melody in the chorus), the contrasting bawdy “Three Maidens” (which I still can’t sing with a straight face no matter how hard I try), by popular demand “On Sussex Hills” with some glorious and balanced harmonies, then another old favourite “Shepherd of the Downs”  before drawing the evening to a close with “Come Stranger, Come Friend” with further lovely harmonising. 

  

As I left the pub three of the chaps were settling down to sing and play some jazzy numbers on the guitar which lives at the pub. It sounded great but sadly my bus was due, so I had to leave them to it! 

  

Our next session will be on Monday August 18th. New members are always welcome to join us, whether seasoned performers or new singers. Drop us an email if you want to know more or just turn up on the night. 

  

Tina