FANS of top English folk artists Show of Hands have some extra chances to see the duo this summer.

For several months, the acoustic roots duo - Steve Knightley and Phil Beer - were planning to spend the summer touring and visiting Canada.

But then Steve's six-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with leukaemia so the tour was shelved and Show of Hands were warmly invited to join the UK's summer festival party.

Local fans can see them in Dorchester on Saturday, May 24 as part of the town's festival and at Abbotsbury sub-tropical gardens for their annual al fresco family show, joined by Ruarri Joseph, Tim Edey, Martin Simpson and Martha Tilston. The band will also be accompanied by its regular double bassist and singer Miranda Sykes.

Show of Hands will also be performing at the inaugural Evolve folk festival in Weymouth on Saturday, July 26.

And despite warnings of recession and credit crunching, tickets to see the band are selling fast - and it looks like they will have another bumper season.

Phil, who formed Show of Hands with Steve 17 years ago, said: "Things are going pretty well and so far we seem to be recession proof.

"When we signed up for festivals, we thought people would be watching their money, given the current economic climate, but we have been fantastically lucky. We played in Durham for the first time recently and the theatre was sold out."

While the Devon-based duo have a devoted and ever-growing fan base and have played three sell-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall, their rise has been something of a slow burn and still goes through fallow patches.

They were given a boost on Radio 2 recently, when the DJ Simon Mayo - a fan - gave an interesting interpretation to one of their songs.

"Simon had been a guest at our Bloomsbury Theatre gig recently and thought the world of us," said Phil. "Then when he stood in for Johnny Walker he played Cousin Jack and segued it into The Who's Pinball Wizard. Why he thought that would work I don't know, but it did and it was brilliant and after that, the switchboard just lit up. People were ringing in and texting and saying how good it was."

Throughout the preparations for this summer's festival tour, both Steve and Phil have had to juggle work commitments with concerns about poorly Jack.

Phil, the more rotund of the two musicians, has been on a sponsored slimathon over the past few months to raise funds for the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital where Jack has been treated and says support from fans has been brilliant.

"I have just lost five pounds in eight weeks, which I'm pleased about but I haven't really got a fixed target to aim for," said Phil.

"Ideally, though, I'd like to have lost three stone by the end of the festival season and keep it off. I will be very happy if I can do that.

"People have been incredibly generous. Some have given me lump sums, others have pledged money for each pound lost."

Phil also hopes that his weight loss will help him when he fulfils the dream of a lifetime - to help crew a vessel in next year's Tall Ships Race, the Pegasus, a 74ft rigged wooden cutter built in Bristol.

Owned by The Island Trust, which promotes sailing opportunities for disadvantaged young people, the Pegasus will be officially launched by broadcaster and journalist Polly Toynbee today at Redcliffe Wharf, Bristol, with music provided by Phil.

Show of Hands are playing at Dorchester Corn Exchange on Saturday, May 24 at 8pm. Tickets are £17 plus concessions from the box office on 01305 266926.