Mission Statement & Strategy

MISSION STATEMENT:

The English Folk Dance and Song Society will develop its resources, namely the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil Sharp House, its professional staff and its members, to:

• maintain itself as a centre of excellence for the study, practice and dissemination of traditional English folk song, dance and music;
• provide national and local outreach services that enable and increase access;
• celebrate diversity and promote equality

STRATEGY:

1. EFDSS will commit itself to a major renovation of Cecil Sharp House which will greatly increase the capacity of the VWML; enable the collection to be preserved in accordance with professional standards, renovate the performance spaces; increase the areas also suitable for commercial letting (in order to offset running costs); add an exhibition space and an interactive museum space and significantly rework the public areas.

2. Nationally, EFDSS will continue with and expand its outreach programme by disseminating information through the VWML; through EFDSS publications; through its education programme and by providing access to its extensive network of folk contacts.

3. Locally, EFDSS will concentrate on outreach projects that: promote use of the VWML through educational activities; and promote use of CSH through folk activities (particularly those involving children, the disabled, the elderly and ethnic groups).

4. EFDSS will give priority to programmes and projects which can be developed in partnership with other organisations.