An Update from HQ on Covid-19

Dear Barnes Children’s Literature Festival family,
We do hope you and your families and friends have been managing to stay safe and sane during these strange times.
We’re raring to go ahead in June but we’re also watching the same news reports about the coronavirus crisis as you are, and with things still looking a bit dicey, it breaks our hearts to say that we will have to reschedule this year’s Festival.
We’re not ready to say goodbye to the amazing Festival that we had planned so we’ve just popped ourselves on pause, while we try and sort out some dates for later in the year. If the government says it’s OK of course.
As we’ve all learned lately a lot can change in a few days so we’ve held off cancelling because once we’re cancelled there’s no turning back and relentless optimists that we are, while there is hope, no matter how faint, we believe in keeping the dream alive.
Your safety, and that of our Festival families, our authors, illustrators and performers is our top priority as always, so even if the lockdown is lifted, we obviously won’t be going ahead if there’s still a significant risk to public health.
We know that you will join us in thanking everyone who is keeping the country going, our NHS heroes, social carers, teachers, other keyworkers and the thousands of volunteers who have signed up to help their communities.
Hopefully it won’t be too long before we’re back in touch but until then make some time to read with your kids, and keep looking after yourselves and each other.
Love, love and more love, the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival XO
