Summary: Vol. 32 Issue 4
Editor: Simon Vaughan
Published: Winter 2025

Table of contents

• Notices
• Editorial
• Mind My Flower!
  Celebrating 70 years of Monkseaton Morris
• Here’s Several of Us All
  Celebrating 50 years of Sullivan’s Sword
• SDU Longsword Tournament
  Lincoln 1 November 2025
• Churchtown
  A week at the Whitby longsword workshop
• Children’s Longsword
  The joy of festival workshops
• Handsworth Sword Give Last Exhibition
  A new set of dancers has been trained
• Thrales Abroad
  Fun in the Sun
• News
• Obituary
• Letter from America
  Are the swords dancing?
• Review
• MIDWINTER DANCING
• Jeff Lawson’s Notebook
  The life and times of a sword dancer

Editorial

Whitby Wonderland
Established in 1965 as an EFDSS organised weekend, that most venerable of folk institutions, now known as Whitby Folk Week, celebrated its 60th anniversary in August. For those who make the annual pilgrimage, it’s much more than just another summer festival. Each sprig of heather plucked from the garland seals a promise to return safely next year. Heather or no, I was one of those  who couldn’t go this year as my wife and I welcomed our second child, Matilda, to the family at the end of July.

Back to the Biscuit Tin?
England’s Charity Commission has singled out Barclays bank for closing accounts and axing services for community groups (like sword teams) without warning.  Barclays are not alone in debanking small voluntary organisations. It’s not quite a ‘hostile environment’ but the Commission warns of indifference towards the not-for
profit sector among the high street banks.

Those banks that still provide community accounts have introduced monthly charges and some even levy various transaction fees. In this ‘cashless’ age of digital banking, it is impossible to function without access to an account. For a small team with scant income, wrestling with the rising cost of everything, bank charges could prove existential.

So, what now… back to the biscuit tin? What is your team’s experience with banks recently? Good or bad, tell RUMB all about it and we may work it up in a future edition. Until then, I’m off to dig out my old tobacco tin.

This Edition
So, we made it to the end of my first year as editor. Thanks for sticking with me as I adjusted the new look. I think we’ve found the final form. I’ve certainly found a printer I like, and I hope you’ve found plenty to enjoy.

I’d like to thank everyone who has submitted material for publication this year, especially those who have yet to see it in print. Series 33 is already beginning to take shape, and it helps to have a little stock of material put aside. There’s lots of good things planned and, as ever, whatever your team is up to, drop us a note and tell us all about it.

Back to this issue: We celebrate two big anniversaries, Monkseaton turning 70 and Sullivan’s Sword turning 50, with a feature on each team. There’s an account of this year’s SDU Longsword Tournament in Lincoln, and David Gibson and Sue Coe tell us tales from the Whitby and Sidmouth sword workshops.

Deirdre Bialo-Padin has sent a letter from America, Celia Thistlewood has written an excellent review of Lally MacBeth’s book The Lost Folk, and Jeff Lawson takes us through his notebook and the SDU AGM…

See you in series 33.