Can you help the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering to keep going in 2026? We especially want to make a splash with celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the original architect of Morpeth Town Hall, Sir John Vanbrugh (also known for other buildings such as Seaton Delaval Hall, Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace). The Town Hall has been the main central venue and festival hub for Morpeth's important annual celebration of the NE's traditions and arts since 1968, and beyond that has always been a much-loved part of community and civic life. Vanbrugh was a colourful character - playwright, architect, soldier and spy - and we aim to bring him back to life by welcoming back actor Ray Alexander, along with some of the music, dance and customs of the year of his death, 1726, all centring on the building that he created for the lord of the manor, within the wider events across the town during our three-day festival.

The Gathering has so far managed to weather the financial storms in recent years - but increasing problems with venues and logistics continue to challenge us. The weekend of 10th to 12th April will see the 58th Gathering with its "Vanbrugh Revisited" theme adding to the hard-core events traditional music, dance, dialect, art, craft and heritage, with plenty of chances to join in and learn new skills, or just join audiences at the various indoor and outdoor activities including the free Saturday morning procession.

Please help us to fund these events and to bring to Morpeth performers of the calibre of Ray Alexander, fiddler Stewart Hardy, Blue Hat Ceilidh Band, Mossy Christian, storyteller Taffy Thomas, top local and regional dance teams, and many more. We can only do this, providing have-a-go-workshops, free and low-cost concerts, and competitions in craft, writing, performing and dialect speaking, if we can afford fees, venue hire, publicity and safety provision.

Our reserves have shrunk drastically since Covid: recent illness among the organisers has added to the obstacles concerning venues, manpower and demands on public and charitable funders, all restricting our chances of raising money. We only managed last year to deliver our programme thanks to substantial private donations. Every donation received now will go to our parent body, MORPETH ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, a registered charity, to help towards the cost of staging the 58th annual Morpeth Gathering.

Thank you in advance for your contribution, which will go towards ensuring the Gathering has a future.