A FOUR-DAY event to celebrate the life of Vin Garbutt is taking place online this year.

Vin Garbutt was an award-winning folk singer-songwriter from Teesside, England. His career spanned more than 47 years of constant world-wide touring (1969-2017), producing 15 studio albums, a songbook and a documentary film (Teesside Troubadour).

His songs were inspired by the folk tradition at the beginning of his career, evolving over his career into gritty social comment and life observations. He is renowned for his hilarious song introductions and incredible live performances, winning the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Live Act in 2001.

Since Vin passed away in 2017, his friends and musical family have ensured that his work and his life have been remembered through a variety of live and recorded tributes.

For the past year, they have been unable to gather, to reflect or to celebrate the man known as The Teesside Troubadour. So, in spite of lockdown restrictions still being in place, Saltburn Community Theatre, in collaboration with The Wildcats of Kilkenny frontman, Mike McGrother, has created an event from March 11 to 14 packed with a variety of ways to bring people together – at least in spirit – to celebrate his memory.

Mike McGrother said: "I hope we give you the chance to reminisce or even ‘meet’ Vin for the first time by watching, listening, singing, laughing, crying, walking, talking and even praying with us over what I am sure will be an extraordinary four days.

"I also hope that by hosting and presenting much of The Gathering from Saltburn Community Theatre, people are reminded of a wonderful venue – one of Vin’s favourites - that is quietly preparing to re-open when lockdown restrictions are eased later in the year."

The launch event is on Thursday, March 11, at 7pm and is a streamed showing of Pancrack Productions’ intimate and beautiful and definitive documentary of Vin’s life. Filmed in Australia, Malaysia, Canada, Europe and his native North East England, it combines scenes at home, on the road and in the studio, with rare archive footage and candid interviews. Tickets cost £5 (24-hour stream link), which also includes live post film Q & A with the film producer Craig Hornby.

For information about the rest of the programmer, visit www.saltburnarts.co.uk.