Raising the Roots is the name of a year-round folk education and outreach programme administered by Loughborough Town Hall. It brings folk music, dance and oral culture to schools and people outside of the "folk community".

Nine local schools have be chosen as partners in a whole series of exciting projects run by wonderful facilitators: the Demon Barbers, Ryburn 3-Step, Pete Coe, Park Bench Social Club, Black Umfalosi and Boka Halat. Kids have done longsword dancing, clog dancing, rapper sword dancing, Zimbabwean dance and song and storytelling. They've enjoyed in-school concerts and workshops, performed at festivals, attended performances, received repeat visists from artists, and taken part in a big, funky ceilidh at the Town Hall! We also hosted a folk summerschool in 2007 run by Shooting Roots, featuring brilliant young tutors like Mawkin's James DeLarre and Lauren McCormick from The Devil's Interval.

This year, more children will be taking part in new and exciting projects. In January, Damien Barber (The Demon Barbers, Black Swan Rapper) started running an after-school club in rapper sword dancing at Mountfields Lodge Primary School. Some of the children have taken part previously in workshops with the Demon Barbers; some are brand new. But they're all very keen! The club is being subsidised by Loughborough Town Hall and Loughborough Extended Schools. Keep an eye out for our new young rapper side on stage with The Demon Barber Road Show at Loughborough Folk Festival.

We are applying to Arts Council England to fund more projects in 07/08. Their generous support has made so much of this work possible. So watch this space for news!