A wonderful evening where a bunch of us get together annually to raise money for the Dorothy House Hospice. We sing songs old and new but the focus for the evening is entertainment and a good time for all. This year was to have been an opportunity for our friend Alan Briars to play with most of the guys he has ever played with but unfortunately he was too unwell to join us.  At 2-30 am Sunday morning Alan passed quietly away in the Dorothy House Hospice. The main man at the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival a great guy and a very good friend. We will miss him like hell.

Sid, Merv
John,  Tone John & Will The Arc Trowbridge

John Alderslade
Tony Batten
John Neal 3 of the 4  Stonegallows

Alan and Tone sharing a G & T at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival in August 07

Alan had been ill for a while and yet right up until the Folk Conference in Nottingham last week where I last saw him, he was being positive. He was up until 1 am, talking enthusiastically about next years festival and the acts he'd booked and how it was going to be the best line up yet. The last words I remember him saying to me were along the lines of " I've finally managed to get The Alabama Three. I've been trying to book them for years and I'm really looking forward to seeing them...." His close friend and another leading light of the festival, John Alderslade, told me he went with his headphones on. He was listening to the Bristol City game and they'd just scored a goal. Alan cheered quietly and died. I'm going to miss him. Reg Meuross