FOLLOWING the success of last week’s Sedgefield Festival, we have the chance to head a bit further north this weekend, to Bellingham in Northumberland, for the annual Baa Fest.

Guests include The Mighty Doonans, American guitar wizard Brooks Williams, the great songwriter Clive Gregson and Yorkshire duo Union Jill. There’s plenty to write home about across the region’s other folk music venues this week too, starting tonight with the celebrated folk-rock songwriter Jon Strong making a rare local appearance at The Beamish Mary in No Place, near Stanley.

On Sunday singer and songwriter Joe Topping is at Guisborough Rugby Club, and on Wednesday we can choose between an evening at Bishop Auckland Town Hall with The John Wrightson Band and Bert Draycott, or we can pop down to Middlesbrough Town Hall where three of the folk scene’s leading stars will be joining forces as part of a nationwide tour. Guitarist Martin Simpson and melodeon-player Andy Cutting will be joined by Nancy Kerr for an evening of traditional songs and tunes.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the Sedgefield extravaganza, by the way. It has rapidly become one of the area’s top folk attractions of the festival season. Don’t forget we can all listen to folk music in the comfort of our own home every week, courtesy of the three ladies of folk radio, Liz Franklyn on Radio Teesdale, Rebekah Findlay on Bishop FM and Kathryn Tickell on Tyneside’s Amazing Radio. It’s a great way to keep up to speed with new albums, upcoming shows and interviews with performers, with a chance to catch up on-line if you miss the live broadcast.