Rousing folk songs emanated from the Anchor, Old Fore Street, Sidmouth, at the weekend when the Middle Bar Singers had their annual reunion.

ROUSING folk songs and sea shanties emanated from the Anchor, Old Fore Street, Sidmouth, at the weekend when the Middle Bar Singers had their annual reunion.

From Friday to Sunday evenings, followers down tools and tune their vocal chords, and travel from all parts of the UK, and further, to converge on the pub.

Reunion organiser Tony Day, who lives in Lympstone, said the bar was packed with people singing traditional style English folk and “a mix of everything.

“People sing what they like,” said Tony. “Anyone can come along and on Sunday it took the whole three-hour sessions to get around the room and 45 people sang.”

Of supporters he said: “People come from Cornwall, London, Wales, all over the country.

“Someone flies down from Edinburgh and Mike Taylor, who has lived in Panama City for 10 years, comes back twice a year and one of his trips coincides with the reunion weekend.”

Morris dancing took place on the seafront on Sunday to coincide with the reunion and collections were taken for Devon Air Ambulance, which raised �130 and Sidmouth FolkWeek (�220).