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2021 Harwich International Shanty Festival
As we endure a second Lockdown here in the UK, it was in sober mood but mixed with a degree of optimism that your Shanty Festival committee met on Zoom yesterday. We finished the meeting with a determination to hold a Shanty Festival next year over the weekend of 8-10th October. However in view of the uncertainty which surrounds everyone and everything at the moment, we are unable to say at present what form our Festival will take. We are confident though, with nearly a year to plan our event, that we will be able to offer live entertainment in some form or other. Several avenues are being explored, but we are unable to offer any specific information at this stage. So we would urge you to put this important date in your diary and to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, our Website and Monthly Newsletter, to keep up to date with the situation as it evolves. The future of live music and indeed of so much in the music, arts and theatre industry is at stake and it is of huge importance to us that our Festival and others can run again. We look forward to your support and participation as soon as we can all safely meet again.
Lockdown CDs
Meanwhile, due to unprecedented demand for our Lockdown CD it has been decided to order a second smaller run of this popular item. If you missed out on “In Dry Dock” first time around then the new copies will be available at the end of this month, making a perfect Christmas present for you, your friends and family! Keep an eye on the usual channels for up to date information.
Stewards
Our stewards form an important and valued part of every Festival we hold, but we always struggle to have enough help over the Festival weekend. We suspect that in 2021 we may need more stewards than ever in order to confidently run a safe event. It’s certainly not all work and no play as our team have great fun working together and enjoy many perks in return for hours worked. Our Chief Steward will be writing to all existing stewards soon, but if you have never tried this rewarding experience before and are interested in giving it a try, please do contact us by email: stewards@harwichshantyfestival.co.uk and we can tell you more. And look out for further posts regarding this throughout next year.
Jim Radford
Finally, it is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Jim Radford. Many of you will remember Jim, who has attended nearly every Harwich Shanty Festival since it began 15 years ago. His songs, both traditional and self-penned, together with talks and workshops on his connections with Harwich on Tug Boats during the Second World War, have entertained many of our audiences over the years. He became well known nationally after performances at the Albert Hall singing his “Shores of Normandy” song to commemorate the D-Day landings and went on to top the charts with this same song just a year ago. At the age of 92 he succumbed to Covid-19 on 6th November this week. We shall miss you Jim.
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