Council cancels seasonal events on its land this year

There will be no seasonal events to mark Bonfire Night or Christmas this year in the High Peak on public land owned by the borough council, it has been confirmed. 

There will still be small ceremonies for Remembrance Sunday but the council say people should 'remember at home' and not gather in public. It will be releasing more information about how people can mark the day in the lead-up to Sunday 8 November. 

Calendars are usually filling up with seasonal events at this time of year but things are going to be different this autumn and winter amid the ongoing pandemic. 

The borough council say it has made the decision not to allow public events on its land "in the interests of protecting public safety and the ongoing need to put in place measures to stop the coronavirus spreading amongst local communities". 

The news comes as Glossopdale has been placed in the high alert level of the new three-tier lockdown system, but the rest of the High Peak will be under the medium alert level.

'The safety of our communities has to be the priority' 

Councillor Damien Greenhalgh, Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Regeneration, Tourism and Leisure, said: “Ordinarily the autumn and winter months are characterised by seasonal get-togethers and celebratory events. But, as we are all very much aware, things are very different this year.

“The safety of our communities has to be the priority and we all need to take the necessary prevention measures to try and halt the spread of Covid – especially now as additional restrictions are introduced in Glossopdale. For that reason, the Council has taken the difficult decision not to allow events on our land at this present time.

“We know that this will be disappointing news for local communities, businesses and the hard working volunteers who plan all year round for these seasonal events but I’m sure people will understand that we need to do what we can to protect each other and gathering together is just not possible at the moment.”

Council Leader, Councillor Anthony Mckeown, said: “The numbers of people testing positive is on the increase in High Peak, as it is in most parts of the UK, so it is more important than ever that we take care of each other as we head into winter.

“The situation in Glossopdale is evidence that the virus is still very much in circulation which is why we’ve taken the decision about events. It’s also why we’re urging people to remember and follow the basics of regular hand washing, wearing a face covering, making space and sticking to the ‘rule of six’ – let’s do it for our friends, our families and for High Peak so we can all return safely to the things we enjoy and that we’ve missed.”

Main image:

A Christmas lights switch-on event on Norfolk Square in Glossop in 2017. Photo: Anthony Mckeown.