IN a coup for North Yorkshire music lovers, the organisers of a village festival in Upper Poppleton, near York, have persuaded folk luminary Ralph McTell to perform in their community centre on May 9 as part of his 70th birthday tour.

The delighted co-organiser, John Watterson, says: “Some people in Poppleton thought we were kidding when I told them that Ralph had agreed to play at the festival.”

McTell will headline the festival’s centrepiece, an all-day event where he will be backed up by a host of talented performers in the afternoon, including leading singer-songwriter Jez Lowe; folk/country quartet Gilded Thieves; York singer Zak Ford; acoustic duo Keegan Snaize; the ukulele collective Grand Old Uke Of York and Welsh singer Deborah Rose,who comes highly recommended by Dan Cassidy, brother of the late Eva.

“We were blown away last year when Fairport Convention came to play for us, but in my wildest dreams I never imagined that we would be able to have one of my all-time heroes [Ralph McTell] play in our little village,” says John.

The all-day show will form part of a week of events from May 4 to 10 dedicated to live performances. Organisers John Watterson and Chris Ford have run village hall concerts in recent years and believe Poppleton is ready for an annual festival.

“After the success of last year’s one-day event, we’re stepping up our game,” says John. “The 2015 festival will be bigger and better, adding several nights of entertainment to the tried-and-tested one-day festival, and we’re also broadening our horizons to include drama, comedy and a classical music event. It’s all indoors, so this is one festival where you definitely won’t get wet or have to wade through mud.”

Building on the success of last year, Sixties and Seventies parodists The Barron Knights will play on May 6 and folk rock legends Fairport Convention will return on May 8, with support from Roz Firth, as part of a diverse programme of entertainment.

Badapple Theatre Company will present their new comedy, The Unlikely Dads, by Green Hammerton writer and director Kate Bramley, as one of the festival fringe events on May 5 in All Saints Hall. Austentatious will take a night off from their regular Leicester Square haunt to present an improvised comedy play in the style of Jane Austen, based on nothing more than a title from the audience, on May 7, when comedian Joseph Morpurgo will be the support act.

The organisers are keen to involve local businesses and organisations in the festival, leading to such fringe events as a free Jazz Day at the Red Lion Hotel with The Watermelon Men and special guest saxophonist Snake Davis on May 4 and folk music from Union Jill and afternoon tea at the Poppleton Methodist Church on May 9, with proceeds going to charity.

Dave Swann and friends will lead a folk sing-a-long event at the Lord Collingwood pub on May 9.

The festival will end on May 10 with Proms Night, a Last Night of the Proms-style spectacular featuring solo electric violin player Amy Fields and finishing with the Shepherd Group Brass Band. “We’ll be ready for a bit of flag waving and a chorus of Land Of Hope And Glory by then,” says John.

Tickets are now on sale. Friends of Poppleton Live can reserve tickets in advance, so some events are already nearly selling out before going on release.

For full festival details and tickets, visit poppletonlive.co.uk