I have just sent out the following message to the email group for the Loose Knit Band sessions at Sidmouth. Several members of melnet usually attend this event, which is why I am copying the message here. Please spread the message in case there are people who were intending to attend who are not on our email list and not melnetters.
"It is with very great reluctance and sadness that Martin Hughes and I have decided to cancel the Loose Knit Band Reunion next weekend at Sidmouth Rugby Club. Having discussed the coronavirus situation over the last couple of days and consulted with Sarah Nunn on behalf of the Rugby Club, we have come to the conclusion, in view of the rapidly escalating seriousness of the epidemic and the predictions of what is likely to occur in the next ten days, that the responsible decision would be to cancel.
The age profile of the group and the underlying health issues with which some of us have to contend puts many (perhaps most) of us in the high risk category in which the infection is likely to be serious for any of us unfortunate enough to contract coronavirus. Therefore, we have to consider people’s health above the pleasure we were anticipating of meeting up again and playing some tunes. Some people have already made the understandable decision to withdraw and there would no doubt have been others doing so in the coming days.
We are sorry to have to do this, but we hope that you will understand and support our decision. We hope that all of you remain safe and well through these trying times and that we will all be able to meet up again for Sidmouth Festival at the beginning of August."