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Today, 22nd June, is the feast day of St Alban, the first British Christian martyr who was executed sometime during the 3rd century AD. It is probably to be expected that in the city that bears his name his death is commemorated annually on or around this date. The nature of the commemoration may however be a little surprising.
Sunday 12th December saw the second annual "Jingle Bell Jog" hit the streets of St Albans. A few hundred people dressed in Santa suits ran the 5km course to raise money for the local charity Grove House Hospice, which provides care to those suffering from cancer and other life threatening illnesses.
So we come to the final set of pictures from the St Albans Festival of Folk. Most of the performers taking part were British and as a result most of the folk dancing was Morris dancing of one form or another, which seems to be the predominant style of folk dancing in the UK, or England at least.
The Border style of Morris seems to be a rather more raucous form than what most people think of when Morris dancing is mentioned. Originating in the Welsh borders it often features dancers with painted faces, rag covered tatter jackets and feathered hats which combine to project a slightly darker image than some of the other Morris styles.
A few more pictures from the Festival of Folk. This time we have some pictures of dancers from the North West style of Morris, typically performed wearing clog type shoes.
A few months ago a "Festival of Folk" came to town in St Albans. Featuring traditional folk dancers from the UK and further afield it provided a colourful and energetic spectacle which I set out to try and capture on camera. Late morning on the hottest and sunniest day of the year doesn't provide the best lighting in the world, but I'm happy to take what I'm given.
