The Speakers Sub-Committee is dedicated to maintaining the quality and diversity of the BFWI Speakers Listing, the brochure for which is published every two years.
Speakers recommended to the Committee are selected to be invited for audition at venues around the County. WI members’ written comments at these events are relied upon to determine whether a speaker is approved for entry to the Speakers Listing. Speakers are subsequently invited to renew their place in the Listing, updating their details every two years. Details of interim changes and newly approved speakers are published in BFWI News.
Speakers offering virtual presentations are now identified in the Listing.
To ensure that the standard of speakers remains high, WIs are requested to complete and submit a Speaker Report Form after each monthly meeting, whether the talk was virtual or face to face. This applies to all speakers, whether or not they have been approved for the listing. Click on the .pdf link below to download a copy.
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Featured Speaker
James McCafferty

James McCafferty
Traditional Songs from the British Isles and Ireland
For all who remember with great fondness the beautiful folk songs from the British Isles and Ireland which we all sang in our primary school days, baritone and multi-instrumentalist James McCafferty takes you on a nostalgic journey through a rich harvest of the almost-forgotten songs from these islands, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, cittern, melodeon and a variety of other instruments.
There are plenty of much-loved songs to join in with, including old favourites from schooldays like Scarborough Fair, Ye Banks and Braes, The Wild Rover and Star of the County Down. He can also provide WIs with a lovely set of Christmas carols in November/December - and some WIs have even been known to dance along to the melodeon!
You can find out more about James on cantlos.com or from his Facebook page facebook.com/JamesMcCaffertyFolkSinger, or his YouTube Channel (click on the link - it'll take you straight there): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzAn79kXIqCRjPUXTd07NXg.
James can be contacted on 07974 949996 or james@cantlos.com.
Traditional Songs from the British Isles and Ireland
For all who remember with great fondness the beautiful folk songs from the British Isles and Ireland which we all sang in our primary school days, baritone and multi-instrumentalist James McCafferty takes you on a nostalgic journey through a rich harvest of the almost-forgotten songs from these islands, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, cittern, melodeon and a variety of other instruments.
There are plenty of much-loved songs to join in with, including old favourites from schooldays like Scarborough Fair, Ye Banks and Braes, The Wild Rover and Star of the County Down. He can also provide WIs with a lovely set of Christmas carols in November/December - and some WIs have even been known to dance along to the melodeon!
You can find out more about James on cantlos.com or from his Facebook page facebook.com/JamesMcCaffertyFolkSinger, or his YouTube Channel (click on the link - it'll take you straight there): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzAn79kXIqCRjPUXTd07NXg.
James can be contacted on 07974 949996 or james@cantlos.com.
NEW SPEAKERS ADDED!
We have continued to audition speakers through lockdown - virtually of course - and we're delighted to introduce you to new "WI approved" speakers. Click on the file .pdf below to open Pandora's Box!

speakers_update_april_2022.pdf | |
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