Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with any folk club, singaround, song session, music session, acoustic club, folk festival, folk dance group, ceilidh band, morris side, pub, venue, folk society, arts council or national folk organisation. Nothing here is legal, licensing, copyright, safeguarding or data protection advice; check your own club's guidance on gifts, photos, recordings, performers and members' details.
It's quarter to eight on a Thursday evening in October, and the back room of the pub is still cold. A retired electrician called Malcolm, who has run the door at the folk club for eleven years, is setting out chairs in a rough circle round a small table with a lamp on it. There are thirty-eight chairs, and he knows that by half past eight there will be people standing at the back, and he knows which three chairs wobble. On the table by the door he puts the cash tin, a roll of raffle tickets, a jam jar of pens and a laminated sign that says FLOOR SPOTS: PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME ON THE LIST.
In the corner, a former librarian called Rosalind is checking the little PA system that the club bought with a grant five years ago. Tonight's guest is a singer from the other side of the country who writes songs about the sea, and she likes one microphone, a stool, a glass of water and no fuss. Rosalind is the club's booking secretary, which means she spent most of February writing emails to agents and singers, juggling dates, and working out whether the door money would cover the fee and the petrol. She also, somehow, does the posters.
By half past eight, the room is warm and full. A young man who moved to the town for work in the summer has brought a fiddle and is sitting nervously at the end of the row, waiting for his floor spot. A woman in her seventies who has been coming since the club began sings an unaccompanied ballad about a ploughman, all nine verses, and the room joins in every chorus without being asked. A couple who met here thirty years ago sit in the same two seats they always sit in. The MC for the night, a cheerful retired teacher called Desmond, introduces every floor singer as if they were headlining at a festival.
At eleven, the guest has sung her last encore, the chairs are stacked, the PA goes back in the boot of Rosalind's car, and Malcolm counts the door money twice at the corner table with a half of bitter. Next week it's a singaround, and someone will bring a concertina.
If you've ever walked past a pub on a weeknight and heard a whole room singing a chorus, bought a CD from a table at the back of a church hall, joined a session with a borrowed tin whistle, or sat in a tent at a folk festival and wondered who books the acts, you've met folk club volunteers, whether you knew it or not. This guide is about saying thank you to them, in words first and, if it fits, with a small digital jigsaw made from a photo of the room where the music happens.
Who we mean
Folk clubs come in all shapes. Some meet in the back room of a pub every week, as they have done for fifty years. Some are in a church hall, a library, a community centre, a cricket club bar or a village hall. Some book a guest every fortnight and have singarounds in between; some are pure sessions, where anyone with an instrument sits in a circle and plays tunes. Some are big enough to run a small festival in summer; some are a dozen friends and a guitar. Almost all of them run on volunteers. You'll usually find:
- the organiser or club secretary, who keeps the club going, deals with the venue, the licence questions and the emails nobody else sees;
- the booking secretary, who books guest performers months ahead, checks fees, sends directions and makes sure the singer has a bed for the night if needed;
- the treasurer, who looks after the door money, pays the guests, and works out whether the raffle covered the petrol;
- the door volunteers, who take the money, welcome newcomers and keep the floor spot list;
- the MCs and hosts, who introduce the singers, keep time, and make the nervous ones feel welcome;
- the sound volunteers, who set up the PA, fix the leads and know exactly how loud a melodeon can get;
- the session leaders, who start the tunes, slow down for beginners and keep a book of the club's favourite songs;
- the poster, newsletter and website volunteers, who make sure people know who's on;
- the raffle and refreshments volunteers, who sell tickets, find the prizes and keep the urn going at hall venues;
- the festival volunteers, if the club runs one, who put up tents, steward car parks and run the workshops;
- the people who put guests up, who give a travelling singer a spare room and a cooked breakfast.
And behind all of them, the partners and families at home who have learned to recognise the chorus of every sea shanty, accept that Thursday nights are taken, and help carry the PA out of the car.
The words matter most
The thank-you that most folk club volunteers remember is the one that tells them exactly what they did and why it mattered. "Thanks for everything" is kind. "Thank you for letting me sing first when I was too nervous to wait any longer" is the one that gets kept.
If you're not sure what to say, these questions might help:
- What did they do that you saw, or that you only found out about later?
- What did it make possible: a first floor spot, a new friend, a song you'd never heard, a lonely winter made easier by a Thursday night out?
- What will you remember about the club because of them?
A few honest sentences, handwritten or typed, are worth more than any present. Everything else in this guide is optional.
Who might send one
A photo jigsaw isn't right for everyone, and it doesn't replace a card or a thank-you at the next club night. It tends to suit:
- a volunteer who is stepping down, moving away or handing over a role after many years;
- a committee or a whole volunteer team, as a shared thank-you at the end of the season or at the AGM;
- a volunteer who is unwell or can't get to the club this year and misses it;
- a partner or family member who has supported someone through years of Thursday nights;
- a former member who now lives far away and still asks who's been singing;
- someone who likes small puzzles on a phone or tablet in the evening.
It's less suited to someone who doesn't use screens at all, or who would feel awkward about a gift. In those cases, a card and a chorus in their honour are perfect.
Gifts, clubs and good manners
Most folk clubs are small, friendly and run on very little money. A few things to keep in mind:
- Club money: if you're thinking of a thank-you paid for from club funds, check with the committee first. Door money and raffle money are usually meant for guest fees, room hire and petrol.
- Performers' work: songs, tunes, recordings and photos of performances belong to the people who made them. Don't use a recording, a set list or a photo of a guest performer without their permission.
- Photos during songs: many clubs ask people not to take photos or recordings during a song, especially unaccompanied ones. Follow your club's rules, and if in doubt, take your photo before the music starts.
- The venue: pubs, halls and community centres may have their own rules on photography. Ask the landlord or the hall manager if you're not sure.
- Children and young people: if the club has family sessions or young musicians, never photograph them without the right permission, and don't include them in a gift photo at all.
- Members' details: keep names, phone numbers, addresses and email lists private.
None of this should stop you saying thank you. It just means keeping it simple and kind.
When to send it
The folk club year has natural moments for a thank-you:
- at the end of the season, before the summer break when many clubs stop for the festivals;
- after a sell-out guest night, when everyone is tired and happy;
- at the AGM, when someone hands over a role;
- after the club's festival or anniversary night, when the bunting comes down;
- at the Christmas or midwinter singaround, when the songs are seasonal and the room is full;
- when someone moves away or steps down, whenever that happens.
There's no wrong time to say thank you, but a thank-you that arrives close to the moment it's about tends to land best.
Why a jigsaw can fit
Folk clubs are about slow, shared things: a long ballad sung through every verse, a tune learned by ear over months, a chorus that a whole room knows. A jigsaw is slow too, in a gentle way. Putting together a photo of the back room with the chairs in a circle, piece by piece, gives the person a few quiet minutes with a place they love.
And because the note appears when the last piece clicks in, the thank-you arrives at the end, like the last chorus. That's the part people tend to remember.
It also travels. A member who has moved to another town or another country can't come back for Thursday night, but they can open a link on a winter evening and spend ten minutes back in the room where they used to sing.
If you're thanking the organiser or club secretary
Organisers carry the parts of the club nobody sees: the room booking, the insurance, the venue negotiations, the year the pub changed hands and the club nearly had to move. A photo of the empty room set up before the first guest arrives, with a note that names something specific, works well: "Thank you for keeping the club going when the pub changed hands. We'd have nowhere to sing without you."
If you're thanking the booking secretary
Booking secretaries spend months making a season happen. A photo of the season's poster, with no phone numbers or addresses, or of the stage corner with a single microphone and stool, can be the right choice, with a note about a guest night you loved.
If you're thanking the door volunteers
Door volunteers are often the first friendly face a newcomer sees. A photo of the door table set out before the night, with the raffle tickets and the jar of pens but no cash tin in view, makes a cheerful puzzle. Keep the floor spot list and any names out of the frame.
If you're thanking the MC or host
A good MC makes a nervous singer feel like a star. A photo of the room from the MC's chair, before anyone sits down, makes a lovely image, with a note about the night they made you feel welcome.
If you're thanking the sound volunteers
Sound volunteers rarely get thanked unless something goes wrong. A photo of the PA set up, the leads coiled and the little mixer lit up, can make a surprisingly good puzzle, because every piece has a knob or a light in it.
If you're thanking the session leaders
Session leaders keep the tunes going and help beginners join in. A photo of the instruments laid out on chairs before the session, with no people in the shot, or the well-worn tune book open on a music stand, can be lovely. If the tune book has handwritten names or phone numbers in it, choose another page.
If you're thanking the treasurer
Treasurers do the sums that keep the club alive: door money against room hire, guest fees against raffle takings, and the quiet worry in January when the numbers don't add up. A photo of the empty room with the lamp on, or the club's sign, with a note that says something specific, works well: "Thank you for every careful sum. We booked our best season ever because of you." Never use a photo of the cash tin, the accounts or the bank book.
If you're thanking the people who put guests up
Travelling singers often stay with members, and that kindness is rarely mentioned. A photo of the spare room's window view, or the breakfast table before anyone sits down, with no house number, street or car in sight, can be a gentle thank-you.
If you live with a folk club volunteer
If your partner, parent or friend is the one who comes home late on Thursdays humming a chorus, a puzzle can be a small, private thank-you. A photo of their instrument case by the door, their songbook on the kitchen table or the pub from across the road on a winter evening, with a note that says what you've noticed, can mean a lot.
When a long-serving volunteer steps down
When someone who has run the club for many years hands over their role, a bigger puzzle can mark the moment. A 130- or 252-piece puzzle of the room on a full night, taken with everyone's permission from the back so faces aren't the focus, or of the empty room with the chairs in their circle, is a warm way to say goodbye. Many clubs sing a farewell song or name a night after the person; a puzzle can sit alongside that, not replace it.
In memory of a member
Folk clubs often remember members with a song. If a member has died and their family would welcome it, a photo of the chair they always sat in, their instrument case or the corner where they used to sing can become a gentle puzzle for their family. Always ask the family first, and let them decide.
For folk clubs elsewhere
We've used UK-style words like "floor spot" and "singaround", but the same volunteers exist in many places: folk societies and song circles in the United States and Canada, folk clubs in Australia and New Zealand, traditional music sessions in Ireland and Scotland, acoustic clubs, open mic nights, shanty groups, ceilidh and contra dance groups, and folk festivals everywhere. Some belong to national or regional folk organisations that share insurance, advice and listings.
Whatever the name, the roles are similar: someone books the room, someone books the music, someone takes the money, someone sets out the chairs. The guidance here should work for any of them. Check your own club's rules on photos, gifts and members' details.
Photo ideas and consent
The best photos for a folk club thank-you are often the quiet ones, with no people in them. Some ideas:
- the back room set up before anyone arrives, with the chairs in a circle and the lamp on;
- the stage corner with a single microphone, a stool and a glass of water;
- instruments laid out on chairs before a session: a fiddle, a guitar, a concertina;
- the door table with the raffle tickets, the jar of pens and the laminated sign, without the cash tin;
- the season's poster on the pub noticeboard, with no phone numbers or addresses;
- a well-thumbed songbook or tune book open on a music stand;
- the pub or hall from across the road on a winter evening, with the windows lit up and no car registrations;
- the PA and mixer set up, with the leads neatly coiled;
- the club's banner or sign on the wall;
- a pint and a set list on the corner table after the last song, with no names on the set list.
Things to keep out of the frame:
- faces, unless the person has agreed;
- guest performers, unless they have given permission, and never during a song;
- children and young musicians, at any time;
- the cash tin, the floor spot list, the raffle prize list with names, and the membership list;
- phone numbers, email addresses and members' names on posters or noticeboards;
- house numbers, car registrations and anything that shows where someone lives, especially if the guest is staying with a member;
- anything that might upset someone, such as a photo of a member who has since died, unless their family has agreed.
If the photo has people in it, ask them first. A photo with no people at all, just the chairs, the instruments or the lamp on the table, is often the easiest and best choice.
Getting the JPG right
Puzzlify works from a JPG. Most phone and camera photos are already JPGs, or can be saved as one. A few practical tips:
- pub back rooms are often dark; switch on the lamps, avoid the flash, and hold the phone steady against a chair back;
- wood, brass, instruments and patterned carpets make wonderful puzzles because every piece has texture;
- landscape images usually make the most comfortable puzzles on a phone turned sideways;
- if the photo came from a camera in RAW format, export it as a JPG first;
- large dark areas get tricky, so crop them or choose fewer pieces;
- if the photo has a poster with a phone number, a car registration or a house in the background, crop it out or retake it;
- remove location data from the photo before you upload it, especially if it was taken at someone's home. On most phones, you can switch it off in the share options or the camera settings.
Privacy, an optional PIN, and saying it's from you
The puzzle is private: it's shared as a link, not posted on a public board. You can add an optional PIN so that only someone who knows it can open the puzzle, which is useful if you're sending it to a club email list or a members' group chat. Even so, treat the photo as if it might be forwarded, and keep anything private out of it.
Many volunteers, especially secretaries and treasurers who get a steady stream of odd emails, are rightly wary of unexpected links. Say who it's from and what it is in the message itself: "This is a little jigsaw of the back room before Thursday's guest night, with a note at the end. It's from me, and it's safe to open." If you're sending it to someone who doesn't use email much, hand it over as a QR code inside a card at the next club night.
How many pieces?
| Pieces | Feels like | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | a short floor spot | a few minutes |
| 48 | one song with a chorus | around 5–10 minutes |
| 80 | the first half of a guest night | around 10–20 minutes |
| 130 | a whole evening, encore included | around 20–40 minutes |
| 252 | a long ballad, every single verse | an hour or more |
If you're not sure, 48 or 80 pieces suits most people on a phone. Keen puzzlers may want the hardest version, but dark rooms and plain walls get tricky at high piece counts, so start lower if the image has large areas of one colour.
The leaderboard: only for a group
If you're sending one puzzle to the whole club, the optional leaderboard lets everyone see who finished first. Some clubs may enjoy a bit of friendly rivalry during the summer break; others would rather just solve it quietly. If it's a personal thank-you to one volunteer, you probably don't need it.
A few note ideas
- "To Malcolm: eleven years on the door, thirty-eight chairs and three that wobble. Thank you."
- "To Rosalind: thank you for every email, every poster and every guest you found us."
- "To Desmond: you made me feel like a headliner on my first floor spot. Thank you."
- "To our session leaders: thank you for slowing down for the beginners. We're getting there."
- "To everyone who puts guests up: thank you for the spare rooms and the breakfasts."
- "To my wife: thank you for every Thursday, and for carrying the PA."
(Change the names, and keep anything personal or identifying out of a puzzle that may be shared.)
How to make one (about a minute of setup)
- Open Puzzlify's puzzle maker in a browser: https://puzzlify.app/en/puzzle-maker/
- Upload your JPG: the back room set up, the stage corner, the instruments or the door table.
- Pick a piece count from 24 to 252.
- Write your note. It appears when the last piece goes in.
- Add a PIN if you want one, and preview it for free.
- When you're happy, publish the link and send it by email or message, print it as a QR code inside a card, or ask the club secretary to pass it on.
Honest pricing and notes
Making and previewing a puzzle is free in your browser. You only pay when you publish the link to send it: one credit is EUR 3.99, three credits are EUR 8.99, and Plus is EUR 14.99 a year for ten credits, which can make sense if you want to thank several volunteers separately. The person you send it to doesn't need an account or an app; they just open the link in a browser.
This is a digital jigsaw you play on a screen. It isn't a cardboard puzzle in the post, a printed product or a public puzzle board, and it isn't connected to any folk club, venue, festival or folk organisation. It's also not puzzlify.io (a chess site), Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify, which are different things.
Ideas that are not a puzzle
Honestly, some of the best thank-yous for folk club volunteers cost nothing at all:
- a handwritten card, left on the door table or handed over at the next club night;
- turning up, paying on the door and bringing a friend, which is what every club needs most;
- buying a CD or a download from the guest, so the club can keep booking good people;
- staying behind to stack the chairs and carry the PA out to the car;
- offering a spare room to a travelling guest, if you're able;
- volunteering yourself: on the door, the raffle, the posters or the festival car park;
- writing a few kind words about the club for the local paper, the community newsletter or a listings site;
- a round of drinks for the volunteers at the end of the night, which never fails.
If a photo puzzle feels right as well, choose the back room before the singers arrive, the stage corner, the instruments on the chairs or the door table, keep faces, performers, children, names, the cash tin and anyone's home out of the frame, pick a piece count and add your note. You only pay if you decide to send it. You can open Puzzlify's photo puzzle maker and try a free preview first.
Whatever you send, the most important part is the sentence that sounds like you, written to the person who set out thirty-eight chairs, booked a singer from the other side of the country, counted the door money twice, coiled the leads, started the tune slowly for the beginners and introduced every nervous floor singer as if they were headlining, so that next Thursday, there would still be a room full of people singing the chorus.
Written by the small team behind Puzzlify (info@puzzlify.app). Not legal, licensing, copyright, safeguarding or privacy advice. Check your own club's guidance on gifts, photos, recordings, performers and members' details.