If you are stuck with your Christmas shopping, and don’t know what to get for your folky friends or family this year, you may be pleased to learn that we have some great book ideas for last minute presents!
Plus, in 2025 it’s our 50th Anniversary… Don’t forget to send us ideas for your tracks for the 50th Anniversary CD. As well as this, we have some updated events news to share. Please see the list and links below for more details.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of dancing and music, from your volunteers here at the Morris Fed.
Books To Buy Your Folky Friends For Christmas
or a fab present for the morris/sword/clog dancer/musician in your life, or even yourself, here’s our new web page of recent morris, sword and clog books and where to buy them . Or look at our Lending Library where you may find one on loan.
Top tip: Mike Heaney’s books are available from Archaeopress, who are offering 35% off books and eBooks via their website – enter the code BLACKFRIDAY24 before checkout, valid until 6th December.
The following two books are available direct from the Morris Federation:
Rapper Sword Dance in America, by Rhett Krause, 2024.
£30, plus £5.60 P&P to UK addresses. Proceeds of the book sales will be used to purchase rapper swords for our Schools Kit Bags for teaching under 18’s.
Morris Dancers & Rose Queens – An anthology of reported Carnivals and Galas in West Lancashire, by Johnny Haslett.
Just a few left. Free, please donate to Johnny’s chosen charity, the Cleft Lip and Palate Association, CLAPA. £5.60 P&P to UK addresses.
More info at: https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/merchandise/cds-books/
Morris Federation 50th Anniversary
Regional Events
Thank you! We have had several volunteer teams from up and down the country to run regional days of dance to celebrate our 50th Anniversary in 2025. We are currently in discussion with organisers in Cumbria, Devon, East Sussex, and Staffordshire.
If your team wishes to organise a day of dance open to all members of the Morris Fed, please email Drew at secretary@morrisfed.org.uk.
Morris Federation 50th Anniversary Day Of Dance Exmouth, Devon - 19th July 2025
Grimspound Border Morris has volunteered to host a Day of Dance for The Morris Federation, to celebrate our 50th Anniversary, in Devon, on Saturday 19th July 2025. For more information and to register your interest, please click the button below.
Morris Federation 50th Anniversary
CD Submissions Wanted
As part of the celebrations for The Morris Federation’s 50th anniversary, we are hoping to produce another CD, and would like YOU to be a part of it!
We have a few interesting tracks already lined up but we could do with more.
- Have you or your side produced your own CD?
- Do you have music available on your website or YouTube?
- Do you have an idea for a song or tune to include?
- Has anybody written or recorded new songs or tunes for, or about, the morris*?
If any of these apply, we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch by email to archive@morrisfed.org.uk by 31st December 2024.
(*For this purpose, ‘morris’ includes all related dance styles such as sword, stave, clog, step, etc.)
Remember the 40th anniversary double album? It’s still available! If you’d like one, please contact bells@morrisfed.org.uk or check out our website at https://www.morrisfed.org.uk/merchandise/cds-books/ where you will find not only our CD, but a selection of books, badges and branded merchandise for sale, as well as many free resources available to download.
Joint Morris Organisations' Day of Dance 2025, Stockport - 26th April 2025. Register Now!
In 2025 the day of dance is on Saturday 26th April 2025 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, hosted by Adlington Morris Men on behalf of the Morris Ring.
Adlington Morris Men sent us the following details:
“We are proud to announce that the Joint Morris Organisations’ Day of Dance 2025 will be held on Saturday 26th April in Stockport.
Adlington Morris Men are already hard at work organising what’s promising to be the biggest and best JMO yet. The local council, shops and businesses are all pulling together to organise a full day and evening of events, and your side is invited to be part of it!
From Morris-themed family craft activities to folky fringe events, the whole of the town centre will be filled with the sound of bells throughout the day, before giving way to an absolutely free ceilidh afterparty with live band, pop-up craft beer bar and street food stalls – with ticket priority given to you!
With pubs already talking about how they can get involved (Morris Ale, anyone?) and more and more people wanting in on the action, Stockport 2025 is shaping up to be a JMO not to be missed.
We’re handily located on major railway routes and three motorways, so getting here couldn’t be easier. There are plenty of hotels in the area if you want to make a proper weekend of it (and we’re working to arrange discounts on rooms too!)
We’ve also got a few surprises (and more freebies!) up our sleeves too.
We’re expecting a lot of interest, but it only takes a couple of minutes to register your side – just follow this link to sign up (before December 31st, please). JMO Day of Dance 2025 Registration
We’ll be in touch with registered sides with more details, but if you want to get in touch please email jmo2025@adlingtonmorrismen.com
Here’s to 2025 in Stockport!”
18 - 39 Workshop Weekend 2025
Friday 14th - Sunday 16th March 2025 in Storrington, West Sussex
You may be pleased to know that planning is underway for our 18 – 39s Workshop Weekend, aimed at the younger members of your team.
We have now secured a venue and can confirm it is to be held in the village of Storrington, West Sussex, on the 14th to 16th March 2025 at: The Parish Hall, Thakeham Rd, Storrington, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 3PP
Please continue to watch this space as we will be sharing further details of this exciting event in the coming weeks.
Ripley Day of Dance 2025
13th September 2025 in Ripley, Derbyshire
Ripley Morris in partnership with Ripley Green Garters will mark the 100th anniversary of the first recorded instance of morris dancing in Ripley which took place in 1925. Morris dancing in Ripley evolved from the Ripley Folk Dance club, formed in 1925.
A Day of Dance will take place in Ripley on Saturday 13th September 2025. The day will be run on JMO lines with sides dancing around the town. There will be plenty of opportunities for refreshment during the day, with sides catering for their own needs.
Indications of interest in attending the day are invited from all member sides of the Morris Federation, Morris Ring, and Open Morris.Individuals and side reps will also be very welcome.
To assist in planning sides are requested to indicate interest by email to ripleymorris@hotmail.com with the subject Ripley 100 by 31st January 2025.
Ripley Morris and Ripley Green Garters look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you all to a cracking Day of Dance on Saturday 13th September 2025.
The organisers may be contacted at: ripleymorris@hotmail.com
Morris Federation AGM and Day Of Dance 2025
Sheffield - Saturday 27th September
The Morris Federation and Sheffield-based teams Five Rivers, Pecsaetan, and Sheffield City Morris and friends extend a warm welcome to all members of The Morris Federation to join us in a day of dance on Saturday 27th September 2025, followed by The Morris Federation’s AGM at 4.30pm (4pm sign-in).
Activities may also be arranged for the Friday and Saturday nights, and more dancing on the Sunday, depending on interest.
Save the date for now, and keep an eye on our webpage for further details.
