Crawley Folk Dance Club

Every other Tuesday. 7:45 - 10:00pm (see below for exact dates)
Three Bridges Community Centre, Gales Place, Three Bridges, Crawley

For map and directions see Google and for contact details see their West Sussex Library Page .

Crawley Folk Dance Club History

In the early 1960's, Phil Jones of Crawley inherited an Austin A30 from his father. As he and his wife had already enjoyed a couple of barn dances at St Peter's, West Green with the Derrydowners they decided to join the Horsham Folk Dance Club. The Club met once a month at a church hall (?Unitarian) on the Worthing Road.

After several visits they were asked by Bill Horton, Secretary of the Sussex section of the English Folk Dance and Song Society where they were from and, when they replied Crawley, Bill said there isn't a Folk Dance club there - would you like to start one? If you do we will help you with callers to get started.

So, Phil and his wife, Joan, started the Crawley Club with guest callers. After a while a policeman and his wife were transferred to Crawley from Chichester. He and his wife were good dancers and he took over the calling of dances. Then he came in one week and said that he had been posted to West Wittering and that Phil would be one his own from the following week, so that is how Phil started the club and then started calling.

A couple of years after after we got married in 1970 my wife and I met Phil and Joan when we started camping with the West Sussex District Association of the Camping and Caravanning Club - -they were Youth Leaders at the time. He persuaded us to join the Crawley Folk Dance Club which was meeting at west Green School at the time. After a couple of years Phil suggested that I might like to take up calling, so that he could get a chance to dance with Joan occasionally. Like Phil I soon got into the swing of things and started calling public events - the first being at a weekend meet of the Camping Club, W Sx D A.

After a number of years at West Green the Club moved to St Andrew's Church Hall in Furnace Green, and then later to its present home in Three Bridges Community Centre.

Eventually Phil decided that he was a little bit too senior to carry on and handed over the calling to Les Plumridge. After a couple of years Les unfortunately suffered a bout of bad health and handed over the reins to me.

We generally have 24 plus members on our Tuesday evenings and more are always welcome - we will help any newcomers into the dance!

Bob Weddell, Secretary and main caller