A SERIES of free events including a wassail concert, a performance by a professional harpist and talks on local history is coming up at Crediton Library.

The Folklore Library and Archive, a charity that preserves historical material and is based at the library, is offering the programme again this winter as part of the Warm Spaces initiative with money from the Devon County Council Growing Communities Fund.

All the events will take place on Fridays at 7pm except for the first, which will be on a Sunday afternoon. Hot and cold drinks and other refreshments will be available.

Early booking is advised for the first event, which will take place on Sunday, January 19 at 2.30pm. Popular folk singer Jim Causley will be joined by Bill Murray and artist Simon Pope for a wassail concert, featuring new and old songs from their collaboration “Here’s To Thee”.

Guests should also book early for the last event on Friday, March 28 at 7pm. It is described as “a rare opportunity” to see professional harpist Elizabeth-Jane Baldry perform her own score as live accompaniment for a screening of the 1924 silent movie version of Peter Pan. Ms Baldry has performed live music for silent movie screenings all over the world.

The full programme is as follows: in January, there will be the wassail concert with Jim Causley on Sunday, January 19 at 2.30pm; followed by screenings of locally made films with Dom Lee on Friday, January 24 at 7pm; and then a talk by Tony Gale on local history uncovered in Ogilby’s Brittania on Friday, January 31 at 7pm.

In February, the programme features a talk by James Downs on the history of photography relating to Crediton on Friday, February 7 at 7pm; a talk by William Mearns on the history of Devon libraries on Friday, February 21 at 7pm; and a shanty evening on Friday, February 28 at 7pm.

In March, there will be a talk by Tracey Norman on church folklore and urban legends on Friday, March 14 at 7pm; and finally, the harp concert with Elizabeth-Jane Baldry will take place on Friday, March 28 at 7pm.

To book your free place at any of the above events, email [email protected], telephone 01363 772578, or enquire at Crediton Library. Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Separately, the Folklore Library and Archive is asking people to loan it old footage, documents and photographs to help it preserve local historical material.

Formats it can digitise are VHS, VHS-C, SVHS, SVHS-C, 8mm cine film, 35mm slides (positive and negative) and any printed photographs or documents.

If you would like to loan any media to the Folklore Library and Archive, you can email the same address [email protected].