News
Late Summer Update
20th Aug 2026
Forthcoming Events
ingers October Weekend 2026
Friday 23rd October (arrivals) to Sunday 25th October (departures), 2026, at Lord Wandsworth College, Long Sutton, Hampshire, RG29 1TB.
Sore Fingers April Week 2027
Sunday 4th April (arrivals) to Saturday 11th April (departures), 2027, at Lord Wandsworth College, Long Sutton, Hampshire, RG29 1TB.
Please note: Due to the Easter Bank Holiday being early (Sunday 30th March), the event has been moved back one full week.
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Round Up!
In a country where festivals are often marred by cold and rain, 2026 has brought us the opposite, and the weather is looking good right into early autumn. Didmarton is just over two weeks away and it should be dry and warm. Should be a good weekend!
Lots is going on at home, and the move of venue last Easter was a major project, causing us to ignore all manner of other jobs householders need to do. Moving Sore Fingers has also caused us to look at our operations in some detail. It’s moved on from a small project back in 1996 to quite a big affair, with a set team helping to manage the event. We also had around twenty volunteers acting as receptionists and site wardens on arrivals day. That all takes some serious management.
With an eye on the future of Sore Fingers, we are taking a general look at things and restructuring where necessary. It won’t mean any major changes for you; the event will be just as exciting as it always has been, but our planning will ensure that Sore Fingers Week will last well into the future. It’s in great hands.
Working with a new administration has brought about a different approach. At LWC’s request, the options on the booking form have been rationalised. Some of these changes have been imposed by LWC, while others are an effort to simplify the way we manage bookings. There were simply too many permutations!
LWC wanted a simpler set-up with fewer items to price against, and there are also sound commercial reasons to implement the changes. Basically, we have moved to inclusive packages and the pricing is much fairer across the board.
We ran a couple of lessons-learned meetings with LWC after last Easter and discussed some of the issues encountered during our stay. Catering was high on the list, and we have now attended a meeting with that department and agreed a revised approach. Staffing was a major issue, and that will be resolved for future events. The menus were also discussed and these will be better tailored to your requirements.
The good news is that in all our dealings with LWC, we have encountered a willingness to please and get things right. Their aim is to provide the best quality of service at this price point. We’re definitely in a good place.
It’s a work in progress and it will take two or three events to iron out all the issues, but we will get there.
It’s amazing that, with all the things that could have failed last Easter, things went incredibly well. Both the team and the volunteers worked very hard to minimise any issues we encountered. Sore Fingers was its usual success.
Mentioning volunteers, we will be recruiting people again this October to help with Boarding House reception. So, if you enjoyed the job last time, let us know by email and we’ll get you on the list.
The 2026 October Weekend
By the end of 2027, we will have run twenty October Weekends and, considering that they have all been led by UK- and European-based Bluegrass and Old Time musicians, they have been truly successful. Sore Fingers has played a great part in raising the profile of our “local” players and, technically, they owe little to their US counterparts. At Easter, these musicians are regularly recruited into the US line-up in the showcase concerts and never look out of place.
Stealing someone else’s catchphrase, “SFSS has talent” and you are the main beneficiaries.
I have to use this statement twice a year and it’s increasingly hard to find new creative words to describe it, but we have a superb line-up of musicians to teach again this year. Here’s a quick reminder of the line-up:
• All Instruments Structured Jam Class: Peter Earle / Ed Hicks
• Bass: Sam Quintana
• Banjo: Stuart Williams
• Dobro: Laura Carrivick
• Fiddle: Niles Kreiger
• Guitar (Bluegrass): John Moore
• Guitar (Old Time Back-up): Andy Quelch
• Mandolin: Evan Davies
• Old Time Banjo: Charlotte Carrivick
• Old Time Fiddle: Kieran Towers
• Singing: Sue Pomeroy & Roger Jackson
• Ukulele: Percy Copley
We’ve slightly broken with our convention of not booking complete performing line-ups, as several of this group of musicians perform in bands. Sam, Evan and Niles are in Often Heard (just back from a successful US tour), as are award-winning Charlotte Carrivick and Kieran Towers, and of course Laura and Charlotte are the Carrivick Sisters.
Not that this will affect the concerts. At Sore Fingers, the stage is always set for fantastic collaborations!
John Moore has a regular equestrian commitment in Northern Europe at this time of year and will be joining us to teach some guitar. Don’t even think about it – he’s just amazing. Don’t miss the chance to learn with this wonderful player.
Regarding guitar, we have also added a new course hosted by Andy Quelch to cover the special approaches to playing guitar for Old Time. Andy is a “dab hand” at this and is one of the best players on the UK Old Time circuit.
The All Instruments class, with Peter Earle and Ed Hicks, is for those who wish to learn to play in larger ensembles, such as open sessions, and build the confidence to join in and play by ear, understand how to blend in, keep up and work out what chords are coming! It will be very practical and involve a lot of playing and, more importantly, listening to each other.
If you are new to the event – and we welcome first-timers all the time – the October Weekend is a good place to start your Sore Fingers odyssey. Over just two days, it gives you a chance to sample the spirit and buzz of this amazing event. Many come back to take the full five days at Easter. October is shorter and more relaxed, providing an easier pathway into things. If you’ve not been before, this is the one to try. You’ll not know what you are missing until you dive in!
Bookings
After an initial burst of booking activity when we issued the forms – Sorry, they were rather late and we’ll try much harder next time! – bookings have been steady but slow so far, and we are still some way off the target of 150 students in total.
Last year was a little lacklustre, with less than a hundred attending. We don’t want to be disappointed again, so please consider booking soon.
We know it’s been a hot summer and you have been travelling far and wide for your holidays, but it’s back to school soon and time to secure your place on a course – and, of course, in a single room!
There are plenty of places on all classes, and none have reached ten students yet! Dobro has yet to attract a single student! Come on, it’s Laura Carrivick!
In order to ensure we meet our financial targets, we will be reviewing the bookings in early September and poor-performing classes may not run. We sincerely hope to avoid that. Only you can help.
Easter 2027
Bookings are trickling in for the next Sore Fingers Week, and it will be the thirtieth Week!
We are still busy recruiting tutors and we hope to finalise the line-up very soon.
We’ll issue a press release specifically for Easter soon.
But, knowing how good our tutors are, you can book with confidence and, of course, should we book someone who is not suitable, there are no penalties or fees held back – you get every penny refunded.
Confirmed so far:
• Bass: Greg Garrison
• Banjo 1: Bill Evans
• Banjo 2: Ron Block
• Mandolin 1: John Reischman
• Mandolin 2: Mark Stoffel
• Guitar 1: Tyler Grant
• Foundation Classes: Peter Earle / Ed Hicks / Percy Copley
There will be no Music Development class, as neither Andy MacKenzie nor Mike Pryor is available next year (well, at least at the last check). Neither Autoharp nor Ukulele is on the cards either.
That’s the story so far.
John, Moira and the Team