Affiliated Projects & Organisations

Ethnomusicology Ireland is the open-access, online, and peer-reviewed journal of ICTMD Ireland. Rebecca, along with UoS alumna Helen Gubbins, is guest editing a special issue on the theme of 'Broadcasting Music and Dance' that will be published in 2026.

Funded by EFDSS and run by Lisa Heywood, the Dance Census is exploring the types of social dances that 21st century callers teach and call. Rebecca has been advising the project on methods and data collection.

Set up by Fay Hield and Catherine Bannister, this new centre is supporting research into vernacular & artistic expressions of cultural & communal identities, beliefs & practices. 

This project explored oral histories of London folk clubs culminating in an exhibition and performance at Cecil Sharp House in 2023. Fay served on the project advisory board.

Soundpost is a Sheffield based artist led organisation set up by Fay Hield in 2010. The organisation took part in several of Access Folk’s projects: “Participatory Research in Music” (2022); “Strategies for Widening Participation in Folk Arts” (2023-2024) and the Soundpost project Forge and Fledge is one of our Small Project Grants partners (2024-2026).

Queer Folk was created to amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ performers, foster collaborations, and encourage the building of LGBTQIA+ community within the folk, roots, and traditional music scene. Queer Folk was invited by Fay as artists in residence with the music department in 2022, and they took part in our 2023 Singposium.

English Folk Expo is a charity which champions the English folk, roots and acoustic music sector. We rely on grant funding and donations to sustain our work.

Canto Rovesciato is an organisation in Tuscany, Italy who run numerous community choirs as well as other music and song events focused on inclusion and participation. They were one of your international partners for the “Strategies for Widening Participation in Folk Arts” project (2023-2024).

The first exhibition dedicated to the rich tapestry of folk customs found in the UK today. It will explore the central role played by costume in local & seasonal folk customs, bringing together over 40 costumes created, customised and worn by individual practitioners, many of which have never been exhibited before. Fay served on the project advisory board.

Established in 2020, The North Atlantic Song Community / Collaboration / Convention (NASC) is an inclusive international network that promotes, celebrates and supports our North Atlantic song traditions. Access Folk has been involved as co-organiser and advisor to the organisation since 2023.

Folk You is an umbrella organisation for youth-led folk arts organisations in Sweden. Active in its current form since 2017, they train and support young people to be able to register as non-profit organisations and run their own events. They were one of our international partners for the “Strategies for Widening Participation in Folk Arts” project (2023-2024).

TDFS support the diverse forms of traditional dance in Scotland as part of intangible cultural heritage through free membership and three major routes - residencies, festivals and productions. They were one of our international partners for the “Strategies for Widening Participation in Folk Arts” project (2023-2024).

Rosslyn Court is a music venue based in Margate, England. They were involved in our Consulting Group project (2022-2023), “Strategies of for Widening Participation in Folk Arts” (2023-2024) and presented at our 2023 Singposium and our roundtable discussion at the British Forum of Ethnomusicology’s annual conference in Cork, Ireland (2024).

Wren Music is a community music organisation based in Okehampton, Devon. They have a strong focus on inclusion and social justice and have been involved in many projects for people with special educational needs, health issues or from economically deprived backgrounds. They were involved in our project “Participatory Research in Music” (2022) and presented at our 2023 Singposium.

The project Gypsy and Traveller Voices in UK Music Archives is led by Dr Hazel Marsh (University of East Anglia) together with Dr Esbjorn Wettermark (University of Sheffield) and Tiffany Hore, Director of Library and Archives at the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

Lucy is a music agent, marketer and PR expert on the folk scene and has worked with Folk on Foot, English Folk Expo, Live to your Living Room, Ondervinden Theatre and more. She was involved in our project “Participatory Research in Music” (2022).

Shtetl Berlin is a festival for Yiddish culture in Berlin. Growing out of the long-running Neukölln Klezmer Sessions, they want to educate more (including non-Jewish) people about Yiddish culture through taking part in engaging workshops and culture events. They were one of our international partners for the “Strategies for Widening Participation in Folk Arts” project (2023-2024).

The Folk Education Network is for everyone involved in, or interested in, folk arts education in any context – including those working in schools, with youth groups, in adult learning and/or community settings. We worked with them to organise a FEN day at the University of Sheffield, and in collaboration with the UEA a special themed event with focus on Romani and Travellers in Norwich.

The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a top-ranked institution in Norwich, UK, known for research excellence in environmental science, health, and humanities. Prof. Hazel Marsh has been a regular collaborator with Access Folk (2022-) through the advisory board, the Gypsy and Traveller Voices project, and Race and Ethnicity workgroup.

The Participatory Research Network at the University of Sheffield (PRN@TUoS) is an established cross-faculty network that supports participatory research and researchers. Access Folk has engaged closely with the network since its inception in 2022.

Armagh Pipers Club delivers high-quality, low-cost instruction in a caring, supportive and safe environment, focusing on enjoyment rather than competition. They took part in our Folk arts and Cultural Policy project (2024) and are part of the Folk Policy group convened by our research associate Esbjorn Wettermark. 

Culture Vannin is proud to be able to initiate, inspire and support a wide range of activities relating to culture in the Isle of Man. They took part in our Folk arts and Cultural Policy project (2024) and are part of the Folk Policy group convened by our research associate Esbjorn Wettermark. 

Lowender celebrates Cornwall’s rich and distinctive culture; championing Cornwall’s living traditions locally, nationally and internationally. They took part in our Folk arts and Cultural Policy project (2024) and are part of the Folk Policy group convened by our research associate Esbjorn Wettermark. 

Trac Cymru is a folk development organisation that has been nurturing, promoting and supporting the traditional arts and culture of Wales since 1997. They took part in our Folk arts and Cultural Policy project (2024) and are part of the Folk Policy group convened by our research associate Esbjorn Wettermark. 

The national charity for folk arts in England and a regular collaborator for Access Folk. In addition to being on our advisory board, we have worked together to organise two Folk Education Network days, collaborated with their Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, and took part in our Folk arts and Cultural Policy project (2024). They are part of the Folk Policy group convened by our research associate Esbjorn Wettermark..

The VWML has worked with Esbjorn and the University of East Anglia on the project “Gypsy and Traveller Voices in UK Music Archives” (2023 -). The project is led by Dr Hazel Marsh (University of East Anglia) together with Dr Esbjorn Wettermark (University of Sheffield) and Tiffany Hore, Director of Library and Archives at the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

The Goose is Out is a folk club and singaround organiser based in South London.  They were involved in our project “Participatory Research in Music” (2022).

TRACS is Scotland's folk arts development organisation and a co-operative network which champions shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and indigenous languages. They are an accredited NGO Advisor to UNESCO on Intangible Cultural Heritage. They took part in our Folk arts and Cultural Policy project (2024) and are part of the Folk Policy group convened by our research associate Esbjorn Wettermark.