Janet and I started Charity Folk in 1995 after a lifetime in Special Education. We wanted to continue to support special needs children in Dorset during our retirement through our interest in music. Towards this end we approached some like minded people to join us namely Wendy who plays accordian, Mavis who plays mandolin and sings, Jeannie who plays recorder, and more recently Andrew who plays fiddle. I play 12 string guitar and sing and Janet plays tambourine and collects from the audience. In the early days we played local pubs and clubs and as we became established played more private functions. I ask publicans, managers and organisers of private functions for a contribution to our collecting box and for permission to collect and in return we provide a couple of hours of live music. I stress to the audience that every penny collected will directly support a profoundly handicapped child and that nothing is taken out for the bands expenses, we meet these ourselves. People are invariably very generous on appreciation of this factor. In this way I invariably deposit between £50 and £150 each week directly into the bank account of the special needs school we are supporting. I phone the school with the details, and the publican, manager or event organiser will receive a letter of thanks from the school detailing the amount raised overall, together with a receipt for the main contribution, usually within four days. Over the years we have raised over £70,000 for Dorset's Children with Special Needs, an achievement of which we are justifiably proud. Langside School for Cerebral Palsied children in Parkstone, Poole, Dorset has benefited the most from our fundraising receiving well over £50,000 of the £70,000 we have raised overall to date (July 2009). I believe the reason that Charity Folk has become so successful is the variety of music we present, together with audience appreciation of our support for our charity. We also perform particular presentations for special occasions such as Harvest Suppers, Christmas, Burns Night, St Patrick's Night, St Georges Night etc. Our presentation of Dorset songs and readings from Thomas Hardy, Laurie Lee and Flora Thompson is particularly well received. The fact that most of us are retired means that we can undertake commitments at any time during the day, and we regularly perform for such organisations as the W.I., T.W.G. Senior Citizens and other afternoon clubs in Southeast Dorset. An exciting development of recent years has been the production of two Charity Folk CDs of our music (anonymously sponsored by a fan of the band). One CD consists of some of our favourite Tunes and Songs and the other of Dorset Songs and Tunes. These have represented a valuable source of income for our children, as we offer them to our audience for just £5 each, every penny of which once again supports our children at Langside school. The main reason for setting up this website is to demonstrate what can be achieved by a group of people determined to enjoy themselves and make a contribution to society through their musical interests. The rewards are therefore twofold:- The enjoyment of making music together. The overriding satisfaction of helping young people less fortunate than ourselves. We would encourage musicians worldwide to follow our example, as the enjoyment and satisfaction are immense.