A GROUP that seeks to merge Scotland and England’s folk music traditions is set to perform at Otley Courthouse.

The Tweed Project is an experimental collaboration between respected folk musicians from both countries. After a successful year of performances in 2015, the ‘project’ has been reborn with a new line-up in 2019.

The group describes its goal as being to seek ‘common ground between the Scottish and English folk traditions- two cultures which live extremely separate lives despite sharing so many similarities’.

This year’s line-up includes two-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar who have also been involved in other major projects and bands including The Transports, Shake the Chains (Greg) and Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys (Ciaran).

Ciaran’s fellow Lost Boys bandmate Evan Carson, meanwhile, is one of the most in-demand drummers on the UK folk scene.

The line-up is completed by 2017 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award winners Josie Duncan and Pablo Lafuente, plus Ali Levack - one of the most respected young pipe and whistle players in Scotland.

Audiences are being promised ‘an evening of contemporary folk music from some of the industry’s most talented young performers’.

The Tweed Project will take the stage at Otley Courthouse from 8pm on Friday, October 18. Tickets cost £15.

A spooky new play meanwhile, The Body Snatcher, will be presented at the Courthouse by Thunder Road and Harrogate Theatre on Sunday, November 17. Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s spine-tingling story and featuring live performances of songs by David Bowie and The Clash, The Body Snatcher is described as ‘a dystopian thriller, shot through with humour’ - and perfect for the Hallowe’en season.

The story is set 50 years after Brexit and sees the country fighting a mysterious disease. In the remote town of Inglenook, a young scientist arrives to scenes of devastation. Haunted by his past, he knows that the future of the country may lie in his hands but he needs dead bodies to do his work - and can’t work out why so many are turning up at his laboratory.

Multi-award winning playwright Ian Townsend, who has written the ‘post Brexit’ version of the tale, said: “I’ve always wanted to write a horror/thriller type of play and I really hope that The Body Snatcher will make audiences squirm with delight.”

The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £13. For more details visit www.otleycourthouse.org.uk or call (01943) 467466.