[BAS Newsletter] Studio sessions closed - Covid-19

[Adrian Fowle (BAS Chairman)]

Over recent weeks we have tried to re-establish our Studio Sessions -
our new name for the Wednesday meetings at Ripley and similar events.
Several people have worked on this, but it has been led and driven by
Paul Stringfellow. I would like to thank him for his tremendous efforts.
Last Wednesday the Ripley meeting was full and there was a waiting list
to get on it. In fact Paul was in the process of launching new Studio
Sessions at Coney Hall to add capacity and offer a different location.

Unfortunately the move into Tier 2 for our area has put paid to this.
There were suggestions from elsewhere that our sessions were
"educational" and therefore exempt. There is nothing I could see in the
regulations that suggests that hobby education for adults was intended
to be exempt. It is clearly important that school age education for
children continues if possible and the risks to them seem small. (I'm
not sure about the teachers!) On the other hand many of our members are
in at-risk groups and we should not be wriggling around the rules to
expose them to risk.

Your committee took the decision to close the sessions, reluctantly of
course but it was not a difficult decision. I hope that Paul's hard work
will stand us in good stead when we come out of restrictions, whenever
that is.

In the meantime, we hope to increase our online presence and we are
planning some extra demonstrations for next year. Watch this space!



Please consider supporting my NHS colleagues by downloading the NHS app
if you have a smartphone, and by getting your flu jab

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/the-nhs-app/



Happy painting / drawing / .... whatever medium you use. We are a
fantastically diverse group!


-- 
*Adrian Fowle
Chairman, Bromley Art Society*
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