You know all about The Wicker Man… now hear from one of the Children of The Wicker Man. On Folklore Matters today, we talk to Dominic Hardy, son of Robin, to hear all about the film’s legacy and its impact on his family. Source it wherever you get your podcasts…

Our very own Dave Clarke was the guest of Greenwich Sceptics this week, talking all things National Folklore Survey.

Thank goodness @dianearodgers.bsky.social was able to hold the fort while Sophie was ill in bed with suspected norovirus! Thank you for joining us, @helenwheatley.bsky.social!

The second episode of our new podcast, Folklore Matters, is out this morning! In it we talk to our colleague Andrew Robinson who has been photographing and documenting calendar customs - or whatever you might choose to call them 😉- since the 90s.

Today we had the pleasure of speaking to a packed room at Weston Park Museum about the Survey: what it is, how it was conceived, and some early findings (Halloween, the unexplained and unexpected, and Christmas). Lots of great questions. Thanks for having us, @sheffieldmuseums.bsky.social

The first episode of our new podcast, Folklore Matters, came out last Thursday, and we’ve got another ‘dropping’ - always wanted to say that - this Thursday. Pocket Casts seem to be slow in approving it but it’s available in all other podcast spots. Enjoy, and let us know what you think!

ICYMI our project lead, David Clarke, was on BBC Radio Sheffield with Paulette Edwards on Friday talking about living heritage, encouraging Sheffielders to submit their folklore to the UK Living Heritage Inventory. You can listen again here, from 10 mins in: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Our brand new podcast, Folklore Matters, launches today. David Clarke, Sophie Parkes-Nield, and Diane Rodgers speak to people working with or researching folklore to find out more about their work, how they discovered folklore, and to get their thoughts on the findings of the Survey.

'If we shut ourselves off from recognising ourselves in others, we create a dearth of empathy and that is a very dangerous path to start walking down’ - folklorist @lilithepunk.bsky.social tells us about her new book, her varied career, and how folklore can help us in these uncertain times.

Sheffield’s Heritage Partnership Board is encouraging people across the city to submit their living heritage to a new inventory. From sword dancing to Hendo’s, the city is rife with living heritage and the SHPB wants it recognised at a national level www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/news/from-sw...

Yesterday our project lead, Dr David Clarke, dusted down his suit to join the Launch of the Living Heritage inventories of ICH at Westminster. It was good to see pals such as Matt Cheeseman and Doc Rowe and hear more from Baroness Fiona Twycross who is leading the DCMS ICH rollout

🚨 Date for the diary 🚨 on 4 Feb we’ll be at @sheffieldmuseums.bsky.social for a lunchtime talk on all things Survey: how the project came to be and emerging findings. So come along to see what folklore is potent in England today.

Introducing….. Professor Owen Davies 🪄 On our website today you can learn more about Owen and his fascination for witchcraft and magic, why he launched an MA in Folklore Studies, and how he became involved in the Survey www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/introdu...

So chuffed to see a piece on the Survey in the latest issue of English Dance and Song, the magazine from @efdss.bsky.social Don’t those graphics from Jonny Ford look incredible?

The top ten Christmas traditions for people living in England in 2025. Do you have any more unusual Christmas traditions? We’d love to hear them!

57% of people living in England decorate their home at Christmas, but when do you take them down? Before Twelfth Night? Were they stuffed in boxes on Boxing Day?

Are the dropped needles driving you mad? Have the cats tipped it over? 58.3% of people living in England today put up and decorate a tree at Christmas. Tell us how yours is faring!

Dressing up at Christmas: jumpers, matching pyjamas, sequins. 34.2% of people living in England today like to dress up at Christmas. If you’re in Wigan today, you’re probably just getting ready to hit the town in fancy dress. Anyone else with a fancy dress tradition we need to know about?

Have you just waved off the last of your guests and settled down in front of the telly? Us, too! According to our Survey, 57.1% of people living in England visit or host friends and relatives at Christmas.

We’re listening..!

63.5% of people living in England today will be settling down to a Christmas meal tomorrow. So what will it be on your plate? Traditional turkey and all the trimmings? The vegan alternative? Or something different altogether?

Hands up: who’s already tucking in? Over 40% of people living in England report eating and drinking ‘to excess’ at Christmas. What we didn’t ask: what we’re eating or drinking to excess. Anyone care to furnish us with their answers? (Nutella over here!)

28.1% of people living in England today host or attend a Christmas party. Are you one of them?

A Ghost Story for Christmas 2025 happening right now on Stuart Maconie's BBC Radio 6 Freak Zone www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Our Survey tells us that 38% of folks living in England today make festive foods at Christmas. Are you one of them? If so, what are you making? I’m (Sophie) terrible at icing cakes so I continue my mum’s tradition of the ‘rustic’ make-it-look-like-snow icing on the Christmas cake.

This was the stat that surprised us the most: 57% of people report that watching films and TV is as important a Christmas tradition as decorating the home and visiting friends and relatives

England is a nation of gift-givers at Christmas! It’s mammoth but it’s worth making your way through our new website post about what the Survey has revealed about Christmas traditions - there are some surprises… www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/its-chr...

I am encountering M. R. James's handwriting for the first time, and until now I didn't know the true meaning of horror 😱

We have a new PhD student, here at the Centre for Contemporary Legend, and he has kindly put together some Christmas viewing recommendations for us, alongside an overview of his research and folkloric interests. Read it here…

We’re excited to see that expressions of interest can be made by communities to the Living Heritage in the UK project, an inventory of customs and traditions. Read more here: livingheritage.unesco.org.uk

Did you catch our Ceri on BBC Breakfast this morning? If you want more, grab a copy of her Christmas novel, Winter’s Wishfall www.waterstones.com/book/winters...

Very excited to see a double page spread on our Survey results in the latest issue of Fortean Times, too. Perfect Christmas present for the weird and wonderful folks in your life!

Want to know how someone becomes a world expert in UFOlogy? Read on: this week we’re introducing @davidwclarke.bsky.social on our website… www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/introdu...

‘It’s a natural reaction to how people perceive things to be going, the multiple crises people seeing are unfolding around them.’ Our @davidwclarke.bsky.social speaks to @nowthenmag.bsky.social about the importance of folklore in times like these, plus the National Folklore Survey

From Freddy Krueger fan clubs to folklore… meet the inimitable Diane A. Rodgers on our website today: www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/introdu...

Love-locks, coin trees and an attraction to the Green Power Ranger - meet the one and only Dr Ceri Houlbrook: www.nationalfolkloresurvey.co.uk/news/introdu...

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…