Thank You To All NYFTE Supporters

NYFTE is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers. When an individual joins the team, their parents / carers make a substantial financial commitment to cover the expenses associated with attending the various training and performance events. With the exception of the team membership fee paid by the family of each team member, the money NYFTE receives from parents generally does not provide any income for the organisation itself. There are considerable costs associated with running the team, including:

• Costumes (procurement, maintenance and replacement of T-shirts, jumpers, skirts, rag jackets, sashes, bells etc.)
• Equipment (swords, sticks, clogs, music stands, boards)
• First aid supplies and training
• Amplification equipment (procurement, maintenance, transportation)
• Van storage, maintenance and fuel
• Printing of programmes, timetables and teaching materials. 
• Tutor and team organisers expenses (e.g., travel)
• A proportion of training and performance event costs so parents do not have to foot the entire bill. 
• Video conferencing fees, which enable us to host our committee meetings and AGM online.

NYFTE currently does not receive any grant funding, and so could not operate without the financial backing of our supporters. Currently, fundraising efforts are focused on those occasions when we can busk, or when we receive a donation after being seen performing at a particular event. Indeed, NYFTE is  extremely fortunate, having the backing of some very generous financial supporters - below is a list of the supporters who have allowed us to mention them by name (some have requested to remain incognito). For further information about becoming a supporter please contact us and we will reply as soon as possible. 

 NYFTE gratefully acknowledges the financial support we have received recently from:

• Angela and Andrew Collins
• Mike Issacs Memorial (Oxfordshire Folk Association)
• Fosseway Folk Dance Club, Somerset 
• Winchmore Folk Dance Club
• The Third Friday Folk Dance Club (Oxonfolk)
• The Beaux of London Morris Men
• Worksop Folk Dance Group
• Ken Simpson
• Avoncroft Folk Dance Group
• R and S Hunt (Go with the Flow)
• Ian and Gill Ludbrook
• Peter Mayes
• Friends of Cecil Sharp House

To all of you: Thank You.

Donation In Memoriam of John Graham 

We have received a generous donation from Oxfordshire Folk, who held a memorial day to honour musician and EFDSS gold badge holder John Graham and who have donated the proceeds to NYFTE. Below is a short biography of John. We would like to extend a very big thank you to all involved. 

John Graham

 September 1941- May 2023

John Graham lived all his life in Headington Quarry, part of Oxford, and the nearby villages of Marston and Garsington. He was one of the last living links to William Kimber, who taught Morris dancing at John’s school. John soon became the main musician for his Morris side, a role that he fulfilled for  over sixty years. During that time, he performed at Cecil Sharp House, the Royal Albert Hall and on trips to the USA and Japan, and appeared on TV in Midsomer Murders, Dr Who and the Generation Game.

 John was a key member of Headington Quarry Folk Dance Club, playing at nearly all their meetings. He became a leading musician for folk dance music throughout Oxfordshire, which included heading his band, the Quarry Turners. He loved Playford tunes and had an encyclopaedic memory of them, which he could play at a moment’s notice.

At John’s Memorial, Chis Dewhurst recalled particular ‘croquet by candlelight’ events one New Year which inspired the creation of a dance (Hokey-Croquet) written to a tune of the same name by Chris. John was awarded the EFDSS Gold Badge in 2019 and will be remembered for his cheerful, eccentric character.  

Not All Forms of Support are Financial.........

Other forms of support that NYFTE are extremely grateful for include: 

• The tutors who donate their time and skills to teaching the team.
• The festivals and dance teams that invite us to take part in their events.
• The parents who pay the expenses, work as team taxi drivers and roadies and support us in many other practical ways such as washing, ironing, mending and (occasionally) making kit between performance events, maintaining the equipment such as bells and rapper swords, providing first aid cover, whilst also ensuring that team members are supported adequately so that they can perform to their best ability.
• The committee who do their best to keep the organisation running smoothly.
• The trustees, who ensure that we meet our obligations since becoming a charity.