Goodbye Old Friend
It is with deep sadness we report the passing of Bill Wilkes.
Bill is having a private cremation, but later in the year there will be an opportunity to celebrate his life. This will be held at the Regent Club in Leicester from the 10th to the 12th October. Bill had previously pencilled in these dates for a 25th anniversary of the Grand Union Folk Club. It seems fitting to combine these events in a weekend of song and music. Further details to follow.
Bill was one of the founder members of our club - 25 years ago- and the driving force behind the Grand Union Folk Club. He was a powerful and wonderful singer both individually and as part of GU4. Bill had been suffering with health issues and finally succumbed on the 5th of August 2025. He will be sadly missed by many singers and musicians throughout the country. If you want to hear him again (or for the 1st time), Here he is leading on one of GU4’s favourite songs.
Grand Union is a traditional style folk club that meets on Monday nights in the friendly setting of a village pub serving a range of real ales. A place to sit back, relax and lose yourself for a few hours in the company of like minded people with a love of traditional music. Why not come and join us?
"Great singing club" The Wilson Family.
The Horse & Trumpet is a lovely CAMRA listed pub, located in Sileby, Leicestershire. It is traditional in style with lots of nooks and crannies and some great beers. The pub is one of a small, extremely well kept group of hostelries owned by the Steamin‘ Billy Brewing Co.. N.B. The Horse & Trumpet's car park is fairly small; check the map for alternative parking.
Singarounds and Guest Nights
Singarounds and guest nights start at 8.00pm (Doors open at 7:30). Singarounds are the very essence of what the club is about and are on the 2nd Monday of each month throughout the year (check the website for the January date if the 2nd Monday is Plough Monday). Normally there is no formal entry charge, but a voluntary contribution of just £1 to help us offset our running costs would be most welcome. Guest night charges vary.Traditional Music Sessions
The music sessions are open to any musician who enjoys playing folk music. While the music tends to have a bias towards the tradition the format is reasonably free and the actual tunes played on any given night are collectively determined by those taking part. The sessions start at 8.00pm, there is no entrance fee and the pub keeps a good cellar with real ales always available. So what are you waiting for? Come and join us. Please note that the monthly English Music workshops that the club used to run ceased in September 2021.