THE late May Bank Holiday weekend was the time for another tuneful Bude & Stratton Folk Festival, now in its tenth year.

The festival, acclaimed as ‘the best yet’, was blessed with excellent weather to complement some great music.

The extensive guest list featured South West talent all weekend and showcased it, on Saturday afternoon, in ‘the Cream of Cornwall and Devon Concert’ hosted by Jim Causley.

This included local acts Thorn & Roses, Pam ‘n’ Al, Martyn Babb, Carillyon and Mike O’Connor, well known for his songs for Poldark.

Returning by popular demand was singer/accordionist Jim Causley who has accepted the role of festival patron.

Also returning were Carole Etherton and Andrew McKay, Lynne Heraud and Pat Turner, Hamish Currie and Bodmin’s Moe Keast: all favourites of the popular Sunday evening music hall.

The impressive guest list included Barrie & Ingrid Temple and Jim Mageean, all the way from Tyneside, Ned Clamp and Patti Smith from South Wales and Capella from Kent.

They and the incredibly talented Ange Hardy and Lukas Drinkwater, Si Barron and Hannah Cumming all delighted festival-goers in a series of first class concerts.

It is noteworthy that Bude-Stratton Town Council and Bude’s Cornwall Councillors gave generous grants that helped provide free events and tuition for children.

The children of Bude Junior School were given free workshops and demonstrated their dancing on Saturday morning on Barkhouse Green led by local teacher Kate Tidball and the talented Nick Wyke and Becki Driscoll from Bideford.

The festival is focused around the Falcon Hotel and the Rugby Club, Bude, the Tree Inn, Stratton, and St Michael’s Budehaven. All supported the festival magnificently and the organisers are greatly indebted to both staff and management for helping to make it the friendliest festival in the west.