A CD launched in tribute to the co-founder of Shrewsbury Folk Festival has raised more than £4,000 for a charity set up to support young and emerging musicians. The profits from Resound, which features tracks from Oysterband, Jon Boden and Karine Polwart, will go towards the Alan Surtees Trust. Along with his wife Sandra, Alan set up the Folk Festival in Bridgnorth in 1997, and it moved to Shrewsbury in 2006.
The Trust has been formed by musician Hannah James, who came up with the idea for the trust following Alan’s death from cancer in June. She said, “As someone who has benefitted from the generosity of Shrewsbury Folk Festival, I want to take the baton and keep some of this momentum going. The tracks on this album are all from artists who have had strong links with the festival and some are songs which we know were favourites of Alan’s. I hope it captures some of the spirit of the festival and the passion that Alan had for music.”
A fundraising gig is being planned for February, with the first round of grant applications opening in March; the Festival takes place over the August Bank Holiday and this year will welcome acts such as Show of Hands, Gretchen Peters, O’Hooley and Tidow and Skerryvore.
For more information about the trust and the CD, visit shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk/more/alan-surtees-trust/.
