Members' Announcement: Folk England
Beginning five years ago in the form of consultations with members, the name change process has been underpinned by one predominant aim: to reach new people. Throughout this time, we’ve spelled out our desire to change our name, so that we appear relevant and welcoming to all. We have shared our rationale, hoping that our members will appreciate and support this ambition and need for change, even though some of you will disagree with our chosen outcome.
Over the summer, we held several discussions online and in person. We have listened to members, and the wider folk community. We’ve heard many different views for and against the name change. Members were invited to use their vote to have a say in the legal name change motion at the AGM last month.
We were delighted that so many members engaged in our proposal to change the organisation’s name. The turnout was high for an EFDSS AGM vote, at 34.5% of eligible voting members. While most AGM resolutions require a 50% majority to pass, the special resolution to change the legal name required 75% of votes to be in favour, in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. The percentage of yes votes didn't quite reach this, but support for the name change was still a sizeable majority at 69.44%.
The Board subsequently reflected on the outcome of the vote and feels that you have given us a sufficient mandate for change. We have decided that, in the best interests of the charity, we will begin operating under the trading name of Folk England in 2026; this will be the name we use to present ourselves to the public. English Folk Dance and Song Society will remain as the charity’s legal name.
The aim is to transition to the new trading name in autumn/winter 2026. As you can imagine, there is a lot of planning and work to do around this, including the creation of a new visual identity, and we are very excited about our future as Folk England and the opportunities that it will give us. We are confident that our new public-facing name, Folk England, clearly and succinctly reflects our organisation as it is now, and as we want people to perceive it into the future. The name will help us achieve our key objective of attracting a new and wider range of people to folk music, song and dance. Folk England is memorable, punchy and concise, and gives us a good foundation to create a stronger brand identity, resonating with new collaborators and partners, as well as our existing member base. It denotes an organisation that is both contemporary in its aims and in preserving of all the traditions of folk arts in England that we are all so passionate about.
We’re also planning to use the proposed strapline Championing music, song and dance traditions alongside Folk England, where space allows.
We see this as a pragmatic compromise and hope you will agree, and we thank you again for your continued support.
Yours sincerely
Fiona Butcher
Chair of the Board, English Folk Dance and Song Society
