Tish Hall-Wilkinson

Tish Hall-Wilkinson (born 1945) spent her early years in Liverpool, where she first became involved in folk music. She began singing in a popular church-run folk club, performing alongside Rod, who accompanied her before the two became a duo. When they later settled in the Stony Stratford area, they found the local folk scene fairly loose and informal — small pockets of players rather than an organised hub. That changed when Tish and Rod launched a folk club at a pub in Little Horwood, which became a focal point and encouraged more people to start playing themselves.

The idea for Folk on the Green came from Rod during a relaxed gathering by the river. The first event was entirely improvised: a tractor trailer as a stage, word-of-mouth promotion, and an audience that simply appeared. What followed was a surge of new local musicians forming bands almost overnight. Tish recalls the early events as simple, friendly, and deeply communal — families on blankets, live acoustic music and a relaxed, homegrown feel.

As the festival grew, she took on much of the organisation: applying for road closures, coordinating bins, and sorting practicalities, while still performing and juggling young children. The event quickly found its identity on the second Sunday in June, sharing the day harmoniously with the church’s garden party. Over time the staging, layout and logistics evolved, and roles became more formalised. She notes the influence of Old Mother Redcaps, the women’s garland dancing team she helped found, who performed prominently in the early years.

Tish stepped back after 1980 for personal reasons but continued attending over the decades, witnessing how the festival expanded, professionalised and shifted musically. She still values its community spirit but prefers the earlier, simpler musical style. Her later experience running a mini-festival in Ripon draws heavily on what she learned from Folk on the Green — especially the importance of keeping things personal, local and rooted in live music.