OVER the bank holiday weekend the eighth Bude & Stratton Folk Festival once again welcomed visitors from far and wide to North Cornwall. Its reputation as the friendliest of festivals has been reinforced by the smiles on the faces of audience and artists alike at a variety of well attended concerts, workshops, open-mic stages, music sessions and 'sing arounds'. Venues such as the Falcon Hotel, Tree Inn (Stratton), Brendon Arms, Bencoolen Inn and Bude Rugby Club hosted an excellent range of talented performers and festival friends. These included Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin, nominated for the best duo in the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. The impressive line-up also included Steve Turner, Jed Grimes, Jackie Oates and Jim Causley. For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.