The Bet Lynch Stage – Hosted By Queer In Space
2011 saw the Bet Lynch tent double in size! When the tent first went up, the large empty space was, to say the least a little terrifying! We were nervous about how we would re-create that warm welcoming atmosphere, but our fears were unfounded and the new Bet lynch, adorned with all the ‘Warholesque’ prints, was a huge hit! Doubling in size this year felt especially serendipitous – what with the rain and all - we had plenty room for our audience to, not only stay dry but also have enough space for fun and frolics.
The larger tent also meant a larger stage, giving our amazing performers more room to show off their talent! And there were some truly amazing performances. What you- our discerning audience – kept telling us was how blown away you were by the quality of the music- not just in Bet Lynch but throughout the festival. The silver lining from all the rain clouds was that relatively unknown musicians received a bigger audience.. and that’s what many of you took away from this year’s Limetree- that quality runs through the whole show..
Madam Laycock and Her Dabeno Pleasures were back to take you on a surreal journey with their gypsy 
circus vibe. All performed with theatrical gusto they probably gave their best Limetree performance yet!
Ste McCabe also returned for a second year – bringing his Electro Queer Punk sound and thought provoking lyrics to an audience who can’t help but adore him! And watch this space because we are conjuring up a veritable feast with Ste -as head chef- in 2012…
We were all spell bound by the fresh new talent of singer/song writer Jasmine Kennedy appearing this year in Queerinspace. Along with Alfie Ordinary, Jess Gardham and Unique- the talent was awesome! 
The queer comedy session brought back stand up comedians Shelley Cooper, Isma Almas and making his debut- Jonathon Paylor, with a little bit of Hectic Egg mixed in, it was all well and truly baked for your pleasure by our MC Joanne Fagon. And this is another space to watch out for in 2012 ….oooo have we got plans.. its all very exciting xxx
That’s all for now folks …but if you would like to know more about how queerinspace all began read on below….
The Story of Q
Serendipitously, a few friends were helping out at the first Limetree Festival in 2008. I came
along for the experience and to be honest I didn’t expect to be blown away by
the festival! But everything about Limetree was a total treat- the space, the
music, the atmosphere and the diversity.
So much so that a thought came to me- “What would it be like to pu t
on a queer performance tent here next year?’ When the festival season ended I
contacted Karen and Sean about the idea – expecting to have to sell it to them -
but Karen being Karen and Sean being Sean – by the time I met with them they already
had queerinspace booked into the main arena. And what’s more they’d found us
the Bet Lynch Tent! Needless to say, since then queerinspace has become part of
the limetree family…….. 
So, what about the name? Well queer certainly appeals because it
does allow folk to engage with its meaning in different ways. It can (and does
have) political connotations but it also appeals to people who don’t want to be
constrained by boxes that fix them into a rigid definition and way of behaving
around gender and sexuality but rather it allows for fluidity – something that
isn’t fixed…And so the name ‘Queerinspace’ is very much about inviting folk
to query/question and be part of its fluidity. In short, it’s an invite to come
on the journey…..
Queerinspace is a journey of collaborations The space hosts queer performance as well
as providing a 
welcome and safe place to chill out, to be, to explore and dress
up and be part of something outside of the box. But don’t expect to only see
performances that are defined as ‘queer’ – we are part of the whole festival and
we’ve become ever more integral to the whole, we have a gorgeous little stage
that we open up to musicians who work well with the intimacy that the space
provides and since 2010 Bet sometimes makes an appearance ….
Big queer love to all, Bet xxxxxxxxx
sue@limetreefestival.co.uk
myspace/queerinspace
