Is there a starman waiting in the sky? What do you think? 32.2% of our survey respondents said they believed that all UFO sightings can be explained: they are all natural, human-made, or hoax. Yet 24.5% said they believe at least some UFOs are of extraterrestrial origin.

Today on our website, meet Siân Evans @coppersmith.bsky.social, one of few coppersmiths in the country. In working with a heritage craft, Siân is encountering folklore every day. Read more here: www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/sin-eva...

It’s the ghostly part of the year… 16% of people in England today say that they have had an extraordinary experience of some kind, including witnessing the presence of a ghost. Fascinatingly, almost one in five of those people have not shared that experience with anyone, not even family or friends.

In a fight between Bonfire Night and Halloween, who would win? Well, according to our survey, 52% of people in England always or sometimes celebrate Bonfire Night, compared to 46% for Halloween. We were surprised. Are you? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Were you one of the 13%? Anecdotally - we have no evidence for this - visiting a farm to choose a pumpkin seems a relatively recent phenomenon and we’re interested to find out more! Have you ever done this? If so, when did you start? We’d love to see your pumpkin picking photographs!

Have you ever experienced that strange feeling that you’ve encountered this moment or event before?

Introducing… Chris Bader! Professor of Sociology at Chapman University in the US, Chris has been instrumental in designing our survey and analysing the results. He’s also about to publish ‘Paranormal Britain’, a closer look at British beliefs. Read more here:

We had a feeling the press would love the first findings from our survey - and we’ve been getting some wonderful coverage! Take a look at the press page on our website to see how it’s been reported so far.

We had to go small-scale so carved bell peppers instead (with little tea lights inside).

Did you know that just over a quarter of people in England carve pumpkins at Halloween? 🎃 (Source: our survey!) We want to see yours - send us photos!

The Black British Folk Takeover at @efdss.bsky.social was curated by @angelcakepie2.bsky.social. It sounded right up our street so we asked her to tell us a little more. You can read all about it here: www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/the-bla...

Fresh from the flurry of releasing our first set of results, today we interviewed Dominic Hardy for our podcast - about which you will hear more. Dominic has been in the UK to promote the book he wrote with his brother, Children of the Wicker Man, and it’s going to be an awesome episode…

Our first tranche of results are getting out there! We’ve just hosted our first press conference, at The Folklore Society and Royal Anthropological Institute in London, letting the world know about our Halloween and spooky-related findings

Sussex folklore has got a new (read: very old) home in the form of The Mint House. We learnt more from Jo Seaman, project manager for its development. Have a read over on our website…

Thanks to everyone who came along to our @otsfestival.bsky.social gig last night, where David Clarke found out a little more about Owen Davies and Ceri Houlbrook’s excellent new book, Folklore: a journey through the past and present. If you didn’t make it, you can get a copy in your local bookshop!

Phantometrics: science, criminology and the paranormal comes to @deadinkbookshop.bsky.social this autumn, courtesy of Dr Laura Bui, and we wanted to find out more…

We had a great time in Crediton last week, courtesy of our friends at the @folklorelibrary.bsky.social. Lots of fascinating discussion at our event about local Halloween traditions, too.

It’s black pea season - in certain parts of the country. How do you eat them?

The @nfsengland.bsky.social crew en route to Exeter to talk about our folklore survey project, by way of the LEGEND OF THE REPLACEMENT BUS SERVICE QUEUE

VENUE CHANGE! For anyone who is coming to see us this coming Tuesday - or thinking about it - we’re now at The Boniface Centre in Crediton rather than the library. Do get your free place! www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/events/the-n...

Any of our followers in the mid Devon area? We’re heading down to Crediton Library courtesy of @folklorelibrary.bsky.social for an event on 7 Oct. Come and join us to hear all about the NFS, where we’re up to and what’s happening next. And it’s free! www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/events/the-n...

Another guest post, this time from Shelley Dotson-Greenland and how folklore feeds her storytelling.

Who has been out visiting stones today or this weekend? We sent off across Bodmin today. Can you name this stone circle?

We won’t eat Richard Bradley AKA Weird Derbyshire - promise! But we did enjoy have a good chat with him about his work for a thing. Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for more info about said thing.

Head to our website to read our latest guest blog. This time we hear from @kupalabrighton.bsky.social to learn how this Ukrainian midsummer festival has got underway in Brighton since refugees began arriving in 2022. www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/kupala-...

One of our number is getting ready to dance on top of a hill for solstice. Anyone else up to anything to mark the occasion?

Today @lallymacbeth.bsky.social’s book, The Lost Folk, is published and, intrigued by its premise, we invited her to write a short piece for our website. You can read it here: www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/a-new-n...

A terrible photo as you can’t see all the folks that turned up to hear, but here’s the inimitable @dianearodgers.bsky.social telling us all about Dracula Returns to Derby today. Such a cool project.

We’re all very excited: our questions have been confirmed, our feedback has been amalgamated, and it’s now en route to Ipsos! Next stop: survey! Looking forward to seeing what the general public make of it…

Today featured the last of our focus groups. Now it’s a case of amalgamating all the incredible, perceptive and generous feedback and working out what we take forward into the next (and final) draft of the survey. Wish us luck!

And in a blog post swap, we learnt a little more about @superstitionsam.bsky.social and their thoughts around creativity and wellbeing in folklore:

It was so fun speaking to the cat… have a read here!

Our very own @dianearodgers.bsky.social!

Several of our project team and members of the Centre for Contemporary Legend have been at the @lincsfolk.bsky.social symposium today, including the keynote speaker, our very own @cerihoulbrook.bsky.social on the Lincoln Imp

@sharonblackie.bsky.social funny you should start following us, Sharon - I’m halfway through If Women Rose Rooted and I’m loving it! Sophie

I got my first folklore stamp in the post today, huzzah! @nfsengland.bsky.social

If you haven’t got your hands on a copy of the latest issue of Songlines yet, you can read the piece about the #nfs here… (But make sure you subscribe to the newsletter AND buy a copy of the magazine - it’s a cracker!)

Have you seen the stamps inspired by myth and legend yet?

Read all about it! Our first project symposium brought together project partners to generate feedback on the first draft of our survey - and the insight was incredible.

Our one-day online conference ‘Folklore and the Digital’ is on Saturday 29 March, 09:30-17:30 GMT. Tickets £30 (£20 for FLS members with Promo Code). For the programme and tickets see folklore-society.com/event/folklo...

Are any of our followers Songlines readers? This great magazine - about global music and the traditions that inspire it - features our project in its April edition. Keep your eyes peeled!

Certainly a room with a view today

And we’re off! Our project partners have descended from across the country (and beyond) to help us critique the first draft of the survey. Many excellent questions to focus thoughts.

Our first guest blog is courtesy of the New Carnival Company, doing exciting things with Isle of Wight folklore. Read more here ⬇️

Our new website is live! Please visit and learn all about the project, the team and what we hope to achieve: www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk

ICYMI members of our team in The Guardian earlier this week:

Roses are Red, violets are blue… how are you celebrating Valentine’s Day today?

Look at these beauties! Nothing says a new project like stickers.

And we are officially launched! Great to see so many in the room yesterday to hear all about the National Folklore Survey of England. Some great questions to mull over, too. Now we’ve just got to get down to work!