Our pubs and venues might be closed at present, but this isn’t stopping local folk singers John Hacker and John Bentley.

Since the lock down a weekly folk club has been running on Zoom and now the organisers are planning a two-day Folk Festival later this month on 30th and 31st May.

Called the Isolation Row Folk Festival it will feature some of the finest local performers, as well as a few mainland guests.

It will run from 2-5pm on each day. The event is being held as a fundraiser for the Quay Arts Centre in Newport who have been badly hit by the lockdown and closure of the venue. Quay Arts is a not-for profit charity and receives no funding from either the Arts Council or the local authority.

Although the Quay has continued to offer a range of online arts activities they are struggling to stay afloat.

Those who are appearing will do so through specially recorded video home performances.

Amongst those Island lined up to play are JC and Kath Grimshaw, Second Time Around and Cajundaze. Mainland guests include Abacus, The Silver Darlings women’s shanty group and Gemma Kwahaja.