Fears that a huge Shropshire music festival for 6,000 fans would be hit by troubles facing the West Mid Show have been allayed.

Shrewsbury Folk Festival is planned for August 27 to 30 at the West Mid Showground and organisers today said that excitement was mounting over the event. Sandra Surtees, spokeswoman for the event, said it was all systems go for the summer folk and roots bonanza.

She said: “Although the organisation holding the lease for West Mid Showground – The Shropshire and West Midlands Agricultural Society – has encountered financial difficulties over the last year or so, this will have no effect on the folk festival, or its ability to hold the event on the West Mid Showground site.

“The Shrewsbury Folk Festival is considered to be one of the premier events in Shropshire and as such has been given a great deal of support by Shropshire Council, the landowners of the site (Berwick Estates), and indeed the show society, not to mention local businesses and the people of Shrewsbury.

“To put any doubts to bed, the society, the council and the land owners have all independently guaranteed the sites’ availability for the festival in 2010 and the future.”

Mrs Surtees added: “The line-up is almost complete, we have just one more main stage act to finalise.”

Tickets are now on sale, with the early-bird offer ending on April 1.

The line up features Bellowhead, Cara Dillon, Dervish & special guests, Billy Bragg, Michael McGoldrick Big Band, Ade Edmondson & the Bad Shepherds, Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, Heidi Talbot & Boo Hewerdine (with Drever, McCusker & Woomble), Genticorum, Jackie Oates Band, Hans Theesink, John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett, Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, Chuck Brodsky, Mawkin:Causley, Adrienne Young, Fay Hield Trio, Kristina Olsen & Peter Grayling, Belshazzar’s Feast, Kerfuffle, Kerr Fagan Harbron, Lucy Ward and Tom McConville.

Further details are available at www.shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk

By Andy Richardson