A new website was recently launched to document and promote anything and everything to do with folk music in Oxford. Folk in Oxford was started up folk enthusiast Cat Kelly, herself an active singer, musician, dancer and tutor.

Kelly told us about why she started Folk in Oxford: “I’ve been sitting on this idea for at least three years and not had the time to do anything about it until now, but where it all basically came from was the realisation that there is so much folk activity going on in Oxfordshire, but no simple way of finding out about  it. We have listings magazines that cover all of Oxfordshire and beyond, but unless you’ve been to a folk event and seen one you wouldn’t even know it existed! What I wanted to create was a way of showcasing everything that’s going on, all in one place. The idea is that you could go to the site to find out where morris sides are dancing on May morning, or who is playing at the local folk club. Because of the nature of the site, while you’re there you might also discover a community choir, or a concert that you’d like to see – and I hope that’s going to be the bit that appeals to people, the bit where you discover new stuff that you didn’t know what going on. I’m also hoping that if you’re new to the folk scene then the site will give a bit of an overview of what to expect, the different factions and sub-genres that exist within folk as a whole.”

Kelly is also running a Folk Weekend in April 2012, “so that the folkies can have a little festival even though the Oxford Folk Festival is not going to happen”. At present, the event is in a fundraising stage, with an Auction Of Promises set up to generate cash.