Sore Fingers 2020: projected reschedule to 14-20 December

Moira Wirtz, co-organiser of the UK's Sore Fingers Summer Schools, issues the following announcement to all who have signed on for this year's edition of the premier bluegrass and old-time instruction week in Europe:

As Easter Sore Fingers Week scheduled from 13th to 17th April CANNOT RUN due to Government COVID-19 restrictions, John and I have arranged a reschedule BUT confirmation of the dates depends on your availability.

We know some will not be able to commit to the revised dates for a number of reasons, and this will release some places on certain classes. If you didn’t book at Easter due to pre-booked commitment but are free in December, then please consider booking as we do need a minimum number of students to make things work out.

Most of the students booked for Sore Fingers Week 2020 will have received an email outlining the plans to re-schedule the event for December 2020. We are aware that in some cases individuals have not received the message, and if this is the case, please contact us on john@sorefinges.co.uk or moira@sorefingers.co.uk a.s.a.p.

The new dates proposed are in DECEMBER as follows:
Arrival Monday 14th – Teaching days: Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th – Departure Sunday 20th

All tutors currently booked for Easter are available that week except for:
Dede Wyland, Singing; Rachel Eddy, Old Time Fiddle; Peter McLaughlin, Guitar.

We are working on getting replacements which should not be too difficult.

HERE’s WHAT TO DO:

1 – Please check your diaries and HIT THE REPLY BUTTON [on the e-mail sent by Sore Fingers] sending a short reply stating either:

“YES, I can attend” or
“NO, I cannot attend”

It is important to do this AS SOON AS you possibly can. We would be most grateful for your speedy co-operation otherwise we may lose the dates. We really hope you can make it because the success of this re-scheduling initiative depends on a majority being able to attend.

2 – If you CAN attend your booking will be carried over to the new dates. You will not need to complete a new booking form. If you CANNOT attend we will contact you separately shortly after establishing how the new dates are received.

3 – If you have booked flights or other modes of transport (rail, ferries, etc.), most carriers are allowing travellers to re-book their travel without penalty. Contact the carrier as soon as possible when we make confirmation.

SOME BACKGROUND:

Anyone following the news will have witnessed the speed at which things are changing. From a position just seven days ago when we expected to run as scheduled, numerous major actions and Government directives have prevented staging this event at Easter time 2020.

The main reason for re-scheduling is to protect health and safety of individuals and minimise impact on associated people’s lives all round. John and I are committed to turning this negative into a positive, ensuring Sore Fingers Week can continue preserving your respective interests as well as honouring promised work for musicians who have agreed to teach at the event.

We greatly appreciate your patience and moral support. Everyone’s reaction has been highly sustaining. The warmth contained in messages received has been wonderfully encouraging and we thank you unreservedly for your goodwill.
Hoping to hear from you very soon.

John and Moira
Sore Fingers Summer Schools