Lewes Local Group Report - Monday April 20th 2026

Seven regulars were joined by four new singers this evening (from Seaford, Lewes and two from Storrington although they may go to Worthing in future as it’s nearer to them). Other apologies were received due to work and Morris dancing. Our singer from Bexhill needed to leave early for his train, so we agreed to sing straight through to 9pm before taking a break.

We started off with more of the songs for imminent events at Stanmer, Oldland Mill and Alfriston Clergy House. First was the Copper Family’s ”When Spring Comes In” (with a reminder to pronounce “love-lie” in the local way, and a singer mentioning the Coppers’ album “Come Write Me Down” available on Spotify). This was followed by “May Day Carol”, “Oldland Mill” (with Ray explaining how it was written by his friend Stuart Leon and how we came to be invited to sing it at the mill, which we now do each year, the next time being 3^rd May) and Kipling’s “Bee Boy’s Song” (with a singer letting us know that Rosie Hodgson & Rowan Piggott, whose harmonies we use, now have a whole CD of songs relating to bees)

 

We agreed to try a new song, which has been sung previously at Chichester and Worthing but not yet at this session, “England for Me” which was learned quickly, liked and enjoyed.

 

Back on familiar ground we continued with “Country Life”, “Ale Glorious Ale, “Ha’nacker Mill” (one new singer is reading Belloc’s book “The Four Men”, while another’s parents are buried next to Belloc at West Grinstead), “Smuggler’s Song”, “Magpie” (after we mentioned how David Dodds wrote it after hearing an old lady say “Good morning, Mr Magpie, how’s your wife today?” another new singer said she had heard that you should also blow it a kiss to drive away sorrow), “Pleasant and Delightful” and “Rosebuds in June”.

Next, we looked at the other new song on my list, “Buttercup Joe”. Again, this was quite simple to learn, it reminded us of others in our collection, and it was well received.

 

Our last batch of songs consisted of “East Sussex Drinking Song” (with an explanation of its origins as Adrian Figgess’s answer to Belloc’s West Sussex original, and the wistful reference to the Beechwood Hall Hotel in the last verse),  “It is the First of May”, “Nightingale”, “On Sussex Hills”, and “Thousands or More”.

 

By now it was 9:50pm. I commented that I was surprised and impressed that we had got through all the songs on my proposed list, including two new ones, and asked if we should take requests to fill the last ten minutes. At this point we realised that we had sung through without taking the agreed break at 9pm and everybody had been too polite to mention it so ended early!

 

We had a good balance of high and low voices with some glorious harmonies, a very satisfying session all round.

 

Our next session will be on Monday May 18^th and we always welcome new singers. Come along for a free taster session any time, just bring your voice and your enthusiasm.

 

 

 Tina

 

Change of Venue for the Worthing Group Session in May

Please Note - The Worthing Local Group will NOT be using the Barn for its session on May 7th.

The Barn is being used as a poling station for the local elections - so for this month only we have been kindly offered and will be using the church next-door for our singing instead.  The acoustics are lovely and the singing will be just as good!

(To join us please come to the front door of the church - NOT via the Barn.)

So still at the same time, and postcode, but temporarily in a different setting - and we'll be back in the equally lovely Barn again, as usual, for our meeting in June. 

Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday April 16th 2026

9 singers attended the March 26 Chichester Inn SDFS singing session.  A small but enthusiastic group led by Alan.  
 
Alan announced that at this session, he would be trying material that was proposed for the Fishbourne event, coming up on 2^nd May and Steve A would continue introducing the proposed songs for next year’s Chichester Fringe bid – Steve W confirmed that these are now located on a new part of the SDFS Blog – The Chithurst Songs. 
 
So to start the evening off in a rousing fashion, the group sang "Ale Glorious Ale" – sung with feeling!
There was a discussion about "The Young and Saucy Sailor" in relation to Fishbourne and this was removed from the potential set list as it was felt not enough people would know it, although it had been tried at Chichester on a few occasions.  "The First of May" was sung enthusiastically and all agreed it was a fitting song for the Fishbourne event – the day after May Day.  
 
Steve A then introduced the first of the potential Chithurst songs – "Valiants All".  He led the group through the song and following a fair amount of discussion, sorted out the various word scanning issues that arose.  He stressed the need for all to use the same timing and following this, the group had another go at the song and it seemed to be progressing pretty well.  He followed this with the more familiar "Stedham Oysterman’s Donkey" which certainly Chichester attendees had tried in the past.  It was agreed that the version of the song that has been on the SDFS website for sometime was the one that would be used.
 
For the last song of the first half, the group tried "The Cuckoo" and after some discussion about words to stress, felt confident that this could be included in the Fishbourne set.
 
Before the start of the second half of the evening, Henny checked with Alan the song list for Fishbourne and it was decided to add "Rose Buds in June" as a reserve.  
 
Carrying on with the new Chithurst possibilities, Steve A introduced "Mayner’s Whip" by singing it through.  It was felt that the tune was possibly a bit tricky for the choir and Henny suggested trying the words to the tune of Three Drunken Maidens with a further suggestion from Alan that perhaps Steve could recite this old traditional local tale as a poem with all singing the last lines to this tune.  This arrangement seemed to work very well!
 
As a great finale the group finished with "Oak and Ash and Thorn" – a further proposal for singing at Fishbourne on 2 May.
 
 
Anne Sartain 

Spring into Summer 2026

As the seasons continue to turn and Spring moves into summer, our SDFS public performances resume with a number of events in April, May and into June.

On Sunday April 26th  we will singing at the "Apple Blossom Day" in Stanmer village, near Brighton, - singing at 2.00pm

Then in West Sussex, on Saturday May 2nd we'll be at a springtime event at Fishbourne Roman Palace, near Chichester - singing at 12.00 and again at 2.00pm.

Back in East Sussex - Sunday May 3rd sees us at Oldland Mill, near Keymer again for their open day - singing at 1.45pm.

And still in East Sussex on Saturday May 23rd, we'll be performing at the National Trust's Alfriston Clergy House in support of their anniversary celebrations - singing at 12.00 and 2.00pm.

Then looking ahead to Sunday June 14th - we'll be back to sing at the Weald and Downland Living Museum, near Singleton north of Chichester- at 12.00 and 2.00pm 

All these and other events we have planned for 2026 are listed on the Diary Dates page of this Blog (and they will be flagged on this post page as the year goes on) - and our local group sessions continue each month in Lewes, Worthing and Chichester. 

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday April 2nd 2026

With songs suggested by both Alan and Amaryllis and Emily's leadership when singing them, we enjoyed a dozen songs from our SDFS repertoire old and new. The sociable mood was set by "Ale Glorious Ale" to start, followed by an old favourite from our songs original project days "Come Write Me Down" (aka the "Sussex Wedding Song") with men's and women's voices in the conversation. 

The Spring season and approach of May was then celebrated in song by "Hal an Tow", "It is the First of May", "When Spring Comes In" and the "May Day Carol".   A rural theme continued with "Searching for Lambs" and "Brisk Young Ploughboy".  "Birds on the Spray" was next on the list, but few singers were familiar with it and so on this occasion preference was given to other options, with agreement to come back to it at a future session.  So we moved on with "Hares on the Mountain", another song shared between men and women' voices in a teasing conversation. 

A break gave time for chat and refreshment - and reminders about coming events, our social gathering at the Barn on April 11th, and an invitation to join with others in reviving the "Stork Song" at this year's Stork Fair in Storrington on June 23rd. 

"Riding on a Donkey" opened our second half - a song revised with new verses by Alan specifically for use at an event we attended at East Clayton Farm (where donkeys and donkey walks feature ). It has since become a favourite and has a seasonal reference in it alluding to the donkey's role in Palm Sunday.  "Rambling Comber" followed with harmonies revived to enhance it - and finally, from various choices still on the proposed list but with time running out, "Turtle Dove" was agreed to and sung as our last song of the evening.

Our next Worthing SDFS group session will be on May 7th - BUT - watch this space, because May 7th is now also a local election day and the Barn may be in use as a poling station.  We will confirm an alternative venue as soon as known - this may be the church next door, which has kindly been made available to us in the past - but this is yet to be confirmed.. 

 

A Song to Try - The Lost Lover

Amaryllis has offered a new song, "The Lost Lover" for us to try.  

You'll find the lyrics, written by Amaryllis, on our "Other Songs To Try" page. 

The song is sung to the traditional tune “Cruel Mother” (Trad. Roud No.9), which you'll find on our 'Songs and Recording" page.

Lewes Local Group Report - Monday March 16th 2026

There were eight of us tonight, including the return of the two new singers from last time, with five apologies received from others prevented by illness, dog sitting and Morris dancing. We started with seasonal spring and outdoors songs and worked our way alphabetically through those likely to be on the set lists at Stanmer Apple Blossom Day, Oldland Mill and Alfriston Clergy House. Some of these were repeats from last month so we could check and practice harmonies. 

  

First was Kipling’s “Bee Boy’s Song”, then “Birds on the Spray” from the Copper Family’s collection and “Country Life” with my usual reminder that the vibe we are looking for is more Poldark and less Songs of Praise. “Ha’nacker Mill” was sung after a discussion about Hilaire Belloc (not known to all present) and a recommendation to look out for his own poignant rendition of this online. Similarly, with “It is the First of May” we mentioned the charming video online featuring the woman with her guitar. To take us to the break, we turned to a general favourite popular at any time of year, David Dodds’ “Magpie” and we recounted for the newer singers the story of how he wrote it after being in a car with an old lady who greeted a passing bird in the traditional country way “Good morning, Mr Magpie, how’s your wife today?”. This led to a discussion of the TV series “The Detectorists” which featured the song, and then to the more recent “Small Prophets” by the same writer. 

  

During the break there was further wide ranging discussion regarding the social for all three groups on April 11^th; the suggestion from the committee regarding other events such as a canal barge trip e.g. at Chichester (welcomed); anyone else willing to join me as a Lewes rep on the committee (no); a possible harmony workshop in Lewes (generally keen, perhaps a Saturday combined with a trip to Lewes Folk Club in the evening); a suggestion for a singing tour of local “painted churches”; who could lead a session if I were unavailable at any time (3 people tentatively agreed to give it a go); a reminder to bring new local songs to teach others; and the discovery that one of the new singers knows the man in the red jacket who was at our Brighton Unitarian Church event and invited us to the Brunswick Festival (she gave me his mobile number to take this forward). 

  

Back to the singing we carried on with others from the probable set lists: “May Day Carol”, “Oldland Mill”, “On Sussex Hills”, “Pleasant and Delightful”, “Run of the Downs”, and ”When Spring Comes In”. The remaining time was then filled with singers’ choices of “Green Grow the Laurel”, “Hal an Tow”, “Loyal Lover” and ending, as we often do, with, “Thousands or More”. 

  

Our next session will be on Monday April 20^th, and more singers are always welcome. Come along for a free taster session any time, just bring your voice and your enthusiasm. 

  

 Tina

Chichester Local Group Report - Thursday March 19th 2026

Some confusion over dates, a tyre puncture on the way to Chichester, and assorted other causes or commitments somewhat limited the number of singers meeting for our March sing at the "Chichester.Inn".  Nonetheless it was good to share the evening and some songs (chosen by request) with those able to be there.  

Although he was having a busy week, Alan was there to advise and assist (thanks for this Alan) - and the first request was for one of his songs "Lammas Carol", not chosen by him but benefitting from his expert direction.  "England For Me" was next, followed by "To Be a Farmers Boy" which has been rather neglected and not often sung by us.  Alan spoke about "Bold Reynard", another song we haven't used.  He noted that a dislike of fox hunting has deterred its use - although the song's narrative is actually about an old and unwell fox seeking his own death. A sad song either way… but an interesting perspective to maybe reconsider, and then adopt it after all.

With invitation and encouragement from the group, Julia and Nicola revisited for us their beautiful duet of a song (written by Julia) used at the Chichester Fringe event we did last summer - "The Holly King and the Oak King" - which was much appreciated.  With a refreshment break incorporated at some point, the rest of the session continued with "Love and the Ball"; "Loyal Lover"; "Ladies Go Dancing at Whitsun" and "Fields Lie Silent". A look towards the return of spring cited at the end of the last of these prompted the next request, "It is the First of May". 

Nearing the end of our session we went back to a song from our early South Downs Songs repertoire, "Old Adam", before a song added in the recent past,"The Rambling Comber" - and to conclude our mixed bag of choices, we managed the "Song of the Sussex Downsman" before heading our ways home.

A Special Item is now available via the Miscellaneous Page

Chris Hare, who led the South Downs Songs project, has sent us a link to some film from the celebratory event held to mark the end of the Songs project in 2013.  It well describes the origins and 'roots' of the "South Downs Folk Singers" - which we are still trying to honour all these years later!

Worthing Local Group Report - Thursday March 5th 2026

Emily led us through a list of songs proposed for the session that had been shared with singers before our gathering; this advance notice was generally appreciated.  Without any public performances due in the very near future the list was free of any specific event related 'song set' to rehearse, and gave us time to sing a song or two from our extensive SDFS collection which deserve more attention, revival and then future use.  It also gave us a chance to look beyond the grey end of winter skies and sing about brighter seasons ahead.

We began with "The Cuckoo".  We now include the fourth verse, rather than just repeat the first to finish with as we used to do. Emily offered a fifth verse to finish the song in cheerful mood; we look forward to hearing it again at a future session and to adding it to this otherwise 'trad' song.  We continued with "Ebernoe Horn Fair"- earlier than its usual summer airing, but to revive it in good time after having not sung it for a while.  Emily congratulated the few men present for the quality of their singing in this conversation song - with the women's voices making a strong response, as the narrative requires!  Using the Copper family's version of the lyrics we sang "The Lark in the Morning" with, as ever, some comments about the words, including whether or not larks rise or fly from their nests! Next was the majestic sound of "The Oak Tree" song, enjoyed by all, as were the gentle tones of "Searching For Lambs" before, by contrast, "Three Drunken Maidens" picked up the pace, and "England for Me" carried us to a break after brief repetition of  a few lines to correct and confirm the scanning.

As well as chats and quaffing, the break gave time to consider plans for our public events this year (plus the SDFS private social "Springtime Revels" on April 11th).  Sign-up sheets listing our draft programme for 2026 were available for singers to make their choices and volunteer to sing out.  (All the proposed events are listed on the Diary Dates page of this Blog - and singers from all three of our local groups are invited to let us know if they'd like to sing at any of them - and also, if they'd like to attend our "Revels" on April 11th - RSVP asap!)

Amaryllis brought a new song to us, "The Lost Lover", with lyrics written by her to the tune of "The Cruel Mother", but relating a less tragic tale. This was welcomed but it also prompted some humour in response to the rendition of a line reporting the lost lover had "gone up north". This humour reminded Emily of other songs which have intentionally raised a smile - primarily the witty "Three Moles" song written by Gordon from our Chichester group.  She hoped Gordon would be present to entertain us with it at our Revels social evening - and it was also suggested that we should all learn and use it as a SDFS group song.  

From there we welcomed the coming seasons with "Summer is A'Comin' in Again", before trying a song new to many, if not most - "Love and the Ball".  This lyric, from an old poem set to a tune by our own Alan W, tells of a couple teasingly competing with and for each other in the traditional  Sussex game (and played elsewhere too) of stoolball.  Alan introduced us to this song a while ago and it has been regularly sung in our Lewes group sessions but less so in Chichester - and not at all in the Worthing group.  When reminded of it and then tried, with guidance from Alan and Emily, it was liked and we agreed to use it more.  Discussion ensued about whether it should be sung in unison as a group or shared between male and female voices - to be tried again and concluded at future sessions.  Description and discussion about stoolball itself prompted Emily to suggest we try a small scale soft ball version of it for fun at the Revels social in April - watch this space!

As we approached the close of the session, we sang  "Come Stranger Come Friend" - and (although not in the SDFS' 'official' repertoire) followed this with a request for an old favourite, "Rolling Home", to finish.  Thanks All - and we'll be back at the Barn on Thursday April 2nd.

H.