ffern folk foundation: boss morris manifesto
Ffern Folk Foundation Grant: Boss Morris Manifesto
As the recipients of the Ffern Folk Foundation’s inaugural grant, we, Boss Morris, stand at a powerful threshold—where tradition meets transformation, where the past holds hands with the future. This support is more than funding; it is a recognition of the living energy in British Folk Arts and an investment in a vision where folk traditions are not only preserved but revitalised for generations to come.
Folk is not a museum piece. It is breath, beat, and belonging. It is a shared ritual across time, a collective memory danced into the earth. And now, more than ever, folk must speak to the challenges of our time—ecological crisis, social fragmentation, and the need for community renewal.
A Living Tradition
We believe folk is for everyone. We are committed to reclaiming it from narrow definitions and opening it up to diverse voices, stories, and identities. As a female-led Morris side, we challenge assumptions and reimagine what folk can look and feel like in the 21st century. For us, dance is not only an art form—it’s an act of resistance, of gathering, of joy.
Folk traditions have always been shaped by the people who carry them. They shift and shimmer, absorbing the rhythms of the present. Our work is grounded in this dynamism—rooted in history, yet radically contemporary.
Our Vision with the Ffern Folk Foundation
This grant is a transformative moment for Boss Morris and the wider folk ecology. It allows us to deepen our creative practice, broaden access to folk traditions, and ensure a long-lasting legacy.
Through this investment, we will:
Strengthen Folk Education & Access
By offering structured workshops, public classes, and digital learning tools, we will engage new and diverse audiences, welcoming them into the world of Morris with open arms.Develop Artistic Excellence & Sustainability
We will expand our repertoire with new dances, music, and costumes, and invest in professional development and mentorship within our team—ensuring that artistic excellence remains at the heart of what we do.Deepen Seasonal Rituals & Community Roots
Folk belongs to place and season. We will embed Morris more deeply into the local calendar, creating sustainable, community-driven events that reflect and celebrate the rhythms of the natural world.Expand Digital Reach & Engagement
To reach beyond our immediate locality, we will create high-quality video content, develop a robust digital presence, and share resources that invite people everywhere to join the folk conversation.Support the Long-Term Sustainability of Boss Morris
With strategic planning, financial management, and rigorous documentation, we will ensure this work endures—building a foundation for future projects and continuing to evolve with integrity.
Ritual, Reclamation, and Renewal
We see this funding as more than an opportunity—it is a call to action. A call to reawaken ancient customs, to remix them with modern creative energy, and to offer them back to the world as tools for connection, celebration, and care.
Ritual lies at the heart of our work: solstice gatherings, seasonal processions, embodied performances that summon a deeper belonging. These are not performances for the few, but invitations to all. We believe in folk as a shared language, a gathering place, a spell cast against disconnection.
And we do this knowing that folk must be defended from those who seek to twist it into exclusionary narratives. We reject any use of British traditions to promote nationalism or racial supremacy. Folk is many-voiced, shape-shifting, and inclusive at its core.
A Legacy for the Future
With the support of the Ffern Folk Foundation, we are not just investing in the present—we are planting seeds. This grant will allow us to leave a legacy: new generations dancing, new songs echoing through town squares, new hands crafting new stories..
Together, we can imagine a Britain where folk is not niche or a trend, but necessary. A Britain where every story, every step trengthens our relationship to each other and the land beneath our feet.