About the event

In September 2026 “Folk N Blues in the Pews” returns to the beautiful surroundings of Brampton Village Church. From 24th–26th there will be three nights of live acoustic music. Celebrating the very best in folk, blues and contemporary acoustic songwriting, the festival combines intimate live performances with a commitment to supporting both local heritage and wildlife conservation. All profits from the 2026 event will be shared between the restoration fund of the Church of St Mary Magdalene (The Parish of East Leightonstone) and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Home | Wildlife Trust for Beds Cambs & Northants

Thursday 24th September - 7:30pm

Fraser Morgan “If you like leaving gigs with a heart full of life and a bamboozled smile on your face, then a Fraser Morgan show is exactly where you need to be.”

Luke James Williams “Reminds me of Bon Iver, only with an English accent.” - Louder Than War

Friday 25th September - 7:30pm

Tu-Kay and Ryan “Beautiful songs and with something to say.” - Tim Wheeler, BBC Northampton

Rhys Wilson “Having been performing since 1976 this songwriter plays with a wealth of experience.”

Saturday 26th September - 7:30pm

True Foxes “Sublime harmonies, perfectly crafted songs and a beguiling stage presence.” - Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio2

Craig Joiner “Award winning singer songwriter and passionate advocate for the natural world.”

Festival organisers say the event continues to grow as a unique celebration of music, community and shared purpose. “Folk N Blues In The Pews creating unforgettable musical experiences while supporting causes that matter deeply to our community. We’re incredibly proud to bring these artists together in such a special setting.”

Pat Doody, Trust member and event co-organiser writes: Folk, Blues and Wildlife Conservation in Huntingdonshire

I can’t remember when my interest in wildlife began, but it was a long time ago. Growing up in the Cotswold village of Bourton-on-the-Water, birds soon became a passion. I joined the North Gloucestershire Naturalist Society and began submitting records, including early observations of nesting Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers in the UK. With the encouragement of local naturalists, that interest broadened to plants and insects, including butterflies and moths. It seemed natural that I would follow a career in the life sciences, studying biology at Sussex University and the rare plants of Upper Teesdale at Durham University. Soon afterwards, I joined the Government’s Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) as a site officer in Cumbria and, later, North East England, based in Newcastle.

Around this time, I also followed my second love: music, especially folk, blues and jazz. After leaving Durham to become a Coastal Ecologist with the NCC, I moved to Huntingdonshire, where I have lived for the past 50 years, including 42 years in Brampton. For several years, Brampton Parish Council took up much of my spare time, alongside work that involved travelling throughout the UK, Europe and North America to advise on coastal conservation and management. In 1990, having completed my stint on the Parish Council, I joined the Huntingdonshire Local Group of the Wildlife Trust and remained an active member for 30 years.

The idea for this folk and blues event began with a chance meeting in the garden of the Black Bull, next to the Church of St Mary Magdalene, one sunny afternoon in 2024. Duncan Goldthorp, Rector of the Parish, and I struck up a conversation. We already knew each other because Duncan is a trustee of the Thomas Miller Charity, which I run. Thomas Miller left four acres of land on Portholme Meadow, just south of Huntingdon, to the Township of Brampton in his 1861 will for the benefit of the poor. He also stipulated that "ten shillings of rent" should be paid to the Minister each year to preach a sermon on New Year's Day forever, with the remainder of the rent "to be faithfully distributed in Easter Week".

At that chance meeting, Duncan expressed an interest in sharing the Church space with the community. I mentioned a long-held view that it would be good to have a folk and blues event in the village, and one thing led to another: the Church seemed a natural venue. Later, when I discussed the idea with my long-time friend Pete Robbins of Artisan Music, he said, "Why not? I will talk to Duncan." Fast forward to 2025, and the first festival took place over two days in the Church in September. Before long, Pete suggested another event in March 2026, and tickets are now on sale for a third event in September, this time over three days.

This event brings together two long-standing passions: my lifelong interest in the natural world and its conservation, and my love of folk and blues. Over three days in September, the festival will celebrate live music while making a financial contribution from any profits to practical conservation in Huntingdonshire and the church restoration fund. That support will help the Wildlife Trust's work, from local reserves such as Brampton Wood and Houghton Meadows to wider landscape restoration at the Great Fen.

Dr Pat Doody, Brampton, July 2026