We are delighted to announce that our historic Tudor building on Westgate Street has been awarded an unrestricted grant of £25,000 by the Postcode Local Trust, made possible by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. Awarded in July, this grant will contribute to The Folk of Gloucester’s core costs for twelve months, allowing our Community Heritage Centre to continue its wide range of arts and entertainment programmes.
Gloucester residents may be familiar with 99-103 Westgate Street as the former location of Gloucester Folk Museum. However, in 2021, council funding for the museum ceased and the running of the site was taken over by Gloucester Civic Trust: a charity working to preserve, protect and improve buildings of historic interest in Gloucester. Today, The Folk of Gloucester (known affectionately as “The Folk”) is a thriving Community Heritage Centre. We aim to celebrate Gloucester’s unique culture and history by showcasing the city’s traditions, arts, crafts, music, theatre and people.
Folk of Gloucester CEO Louise Williams says: “We at The Folk are thrilled to have been recognised by The Postcode Local Trust as a worthy recipient of an unrestricted grant of £25,000. Grants like this are invaluable to a small charity like ours and will allow us to preserve this treasured historic building, keeping it free to access and in full use by the local community.”
The regular Soup Theatre events offer a bowl of home-made soup and a short play at lunchtime
Located at the heart of Gloucester’s historic city, The Folk provides an inclusive and accessible space for creative expression and community meetups. In particular, we aim to engage groups that would otherwise be financially or socially marginalised, connecting them to the city’s heritage through the arts. One of our most successful events is our regular ‘Soup Theatre’ series. These offer a bowl of delicious home-cooked soup and a short play at lunchtime. As well showcasing local actors and playwrights, they are perfect for those who would not normally have access to theatre (including busy office workers!).
Other regular events with a dedicated following include our folk music jamming sessions, free craft classes and storytelling café.
Throughout the year, several hundreds of people participate in our free family events such as the Winter Wassail, Apple Day, Tudor Day and Gloucester Day. Here, the whole community is invited to connect to Gloucester’s rich history and traditions through music, dance, food and crafts. Our events include performances from local Morris dancing clubs, as well as Morris dancing classes for local schools (known as “Morris Minors”).
School group the ‘Morris Minors’ perform at The Folk of Gloucester as part of Gloucester Folk Trail
Every Spring, The Folk of Gloucester is proud to be home to the annual Ukrainian festival. The festival celebrates Ukrainian music, dance, art and culture, allowing displaced Ukrainians from across the UK to come together and share their voices.
In such a competitive funding landscape, this grant is heartening recognition of The Folk of Gloucester’s impact on the community – and helps to secure our future for the whole city to enjoy.
Our historic building, café and garden are open on Tuesdays from 10am-12:30pm and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-4pm. Entry is free.
Find out about our varied programme of events on The Folk of Gloucester website.
