This project started life at Jacey Bedford's house in Yorkshire, in January 2005.

Every New Year, members of the performers' 150-strong web forum Britfolk gather (not all of them!) to chat about the folk business, and think up new ways to promote their music. Pete Coe said at one point, 'The BBC doesn't seem too interested in playing our music. What we really need is our own radio station.'

Tom Bliss, who has a background in broadcast and web design work, and is an inveterate project-starter-upper, immediately saw the possibility for an internet station. The Britfolk list was key from the outset. Early discussions quickly allowed Tom to develop a basic vision, and he then rang Phil Snell (The Toms record producer, folk musician and expert web programmer), and began to galvanize a team of helpers via the Britfolk list.

The station was to be called Radio Britfolk because, although the word 'Brit' does have unfortunate connotations for some people, it identified the type of music to be played better than any other word they could think of.

It was also to be owned by folkWISE Performers Network Limited (www.folkwise.org), a company limited by guarantee which is run by performers for the benefit of performers. Started up by members of the Britfolk, its aim is to support and encourage professional folk artists from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England (hence WISE) in all aspects of their work and career, and to help to develop new projects. So Radio Britfolk was the perfect fit.

The station would initially be run by volunteers, with as many of the functions as possible being devolved to users. Memberships would pay for essential costs, especially the server, licenses and expenses for webmaster Phil, (and others when possible), while major funding would, with luck, allow many additional features to be developed in future.

Tom then started to promote the idea outside Britfolk and bring in other experienced broadcasters and musicians. An Exec Production team was set up: Henry Ayrton (England), Ben Sands (Ireland), Mick Tems (Wales), Steve Byrne (Scotland) and Jacey Bedford (Liaison), whose brief was to oversee programme quality, and ensure a balance of genres and styles across the board. Vicki Swan volunteered for the essential job of tech support, and Kate Bramley took on the search for funding.

The concept was discussed widely via the internet and many people made invaluable contributions: John Adams, Anne Lister, Christian Mayne, Chris Pollington, Gavin Atkin, Pete McClelland, Jez Lowe, Kate Bramley, Steve Phillips, Sheena Wellington, Eddie Walker, Sylvia Needham, Tim Moon, Keith Kendrick, Anahata, Dick Gaughan, Shep Woolley, Alistair Hulett, Anne Lennox-Martin, Rick Christian, Karine Polwart, Shanty Jack, Tom and Barbara Brown, Paul Scourfield, Pete Castle, Genevieve Tudor, Cath Mundy, Jay Turner, John Ward, Pete Coe, Mike Freeman, Tania Opland, Alistair Russell and Elaine Samuels included.

Soon Tom, Phil and folkWISE's financial director Dave Evardson had written a business plan (and website design), which was put to the wider Britfolk group. Immediately 50 people offered to become Founder Members by means of a £50 start-up donation - and some paid even more.

Phil (supported by Tom) worked like a demon, and by May? a licence-free test site was up and ready. In July ?, with full licensing, Paypal account, and the Patronage of Tom's old chum Andy Kershaw in place - RadioBritFolk went live.

Throughout the first year the station's reputation grew, as people all over the world tuned in for a mix of conventional shows, documentaries, workshops - and the unique and very popular RadioBritFolk Billboard.

In early 2006, Kate Bramley took over as administrator, with Phil still putting massive effort into actually running the station. In May Kate secured a substantial grant from the National Lottery Awards for All for commissioning programmes. Now RadioBritFolk was fully fledged.

folkWISE's brief is to act as a starter/enabler, rather than a deliverer of projects, so now the board began to think in terms of handing over ownership to a permanent team. In mid 2007 they suggested to Phil that he might like take over the station on a permanent basis. Phil agreed, and a handover policy was developed - which included a name change (to signal the new ownership and give Phil a free hand in terms of future routes) and the transfer of the membership funds to the new management. The new management committed to honor the rights and associated privileges of the Founder Members thus acknowledging their role in getting RadioBritFolk off the ground.

The folkWISE Board is proud to have been a part of the creation of RadioBritFolk and wish the new management the best in bringing the folk music of the Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England - in all its multifarious forms - to music lovers all over the world.