Organisers of the Nantwich Jazz, Blues and Music Festival say it will go ahead despite fears over the Coronavirus.
The festival – one of the biggest weekends in the Nantwich calendar – will take place over the Easter weekend April 9-13.
It was dealt a blow last week when one of the venues – Residence on Mill Street – suddenly announced it was closed with immediate effect.
But today, organiser Abbi Ellwood, who runs The Crown in Nantwich, said it was all systems go for the festival.
She told Nantwich News: “Yes, it’s full steam ahead for the festival.
“All our venues are small – well under 500 capacity – so we don’t see a problem with the coronavirus advice about large gatherings, we don’t fall into that category.
“So unless things change nationally, we are all set and ticket sales have been strong.”
Abbi and her team are working to find alternative venues for those acts due to play at Residence.
She added: “We are genuinely saddened to hear about Residence.
“We and the town have lost a great venue, and it was a big stakeholder in the festival and has been involved since it opened.
“It’s always disappointing to see a venue have to close, but the economic climate is a tough one, with or without something like coronavirus.
“But this has had no impact on ticket sales, we had a really strong week last week and we are looking forward to it.”
Headline acts at the 24th annual festival – which was originally launched by Abbi’s dad Philip Martin – include Big Country, Stereo MCs, Ruby Turner, and The Blockheads.
For more details visit https://nantwichjazz.com/
I don’t suppose any of you can remember the Black Death here in the UK? Thought not !!!
Only vaguely. Who was their lead guitarist?
Was looking forward to watching 2 of my favourite bands, the Blockheads and Jerimiah Ferrari. Tickets and hotel booked. Not a chance in hell we will be attending.
You tell that to the thousands who will attend, like trip adviser people voice their opinion to complain and not to compliment.
Any update following PMs new earlier today
As Marvin Gaye once sung “Let’s get it on”
To all the negative people – get real, you don’t have to attend, count yourselves in a minority, all the people who will attend can’t be wrong. Well done to the organizers.
hey tc
of these posts
3 out of 21 are for it and 18 out of 21 are against .I think that puts the againsts in the majority by 3-1
This event will not happen in April full stop. If it does, no-one will turn up. Organisers need to rethink fast.
This is utterly ridiculous and irresponsible. I’m sure Nantwich can cope for one year without this event taking place. Organisers need to seriously rethink this decision. The concept of attending a festival like this with the real risk of spreading a highly contagious virus is ludicrous. I’m sure the jazz festival is the absolute bottom of people’s priority list. Nevertheless, if organisers do indeed go ahead, I sincerely hope the general public make the decision not to attend for their own health and safety.
incredibly irresponsible to still have this going ahead, yes each venue may hold small numbers, but people mingle round town and the overall numbers mixing make this a potential risk that doesn’t need to be taken
We were meant to attend a Tom Seals TV show filming next weekend in Crewe. He has cancelled it due to concerns for his band, his crew members and the audience. Putting others before making money is what should be happening in these times of confusion.
Please rethink Nantwich Jazz Festival organisers.
Haha this girl is off her head! Money over safety. Look at all other local events….being cancelled. Be sensible!!!!!
A note to the organisers: Do you really think it is the responsible thing to do to allow this event to go ahead, and for what, a few bucks and your ego?
Maybe none of the venues can accommodate 500 people but there are thousands who visit our town for this event. You are playing with peoples lives here, so I urge you to think again and be sensible and responsible, and I say this as a publican from Welsh Row who would normally benefit financially from the festival.
Do the right thing for the wellbeing of all.
Should be cancelled no thought for Nantwich older people
Completely agree with the other posters comments. Very irresponsible to allow this to go ahead, please think of the residents and not the money! I hope Abbi reads these comments and makes the sensible decision to cancel.
Happy with the full steam ahead attitude, lets bow out with a Guiness in the Horse
E
Public health and safety is the priority. Safeguarding against COVID-19 is an absolute must. It would be highly irresponsible to make any statement regarding the viability of the jazz festival without reference to medical expertise and advice.
what are you thinking.look at the news
locally nationally and internationally
this will spread it like wildfire. enclosed warm packed environments.people drinking alcohol are not going to follow the goverment instruction to reduce transmission. when did you see someone cough into a tissue and dispose of it when out drinking .
Although I can understand the, very real, concern of all the previous correspondents, why not do what my wife and I have done for years and that is to avoid the event with the accompanying litter, vomit and mess that this and the Food Festival create? All that it takes is to prepare for the event by buying enough food to eat over the weekend. After that, avoid all the premises which have staged events until you are satisfied that the hard surfaces in their premises have been adequately cleaned. Perhaps a time-span of at least a couple of weeks after the event should be enough to sanitise their places of business.
Think you may be missing the point
hey to the organisers
this may may you some big bucks for a weekend but it may empty your bars and pockets for the next 6 months or see your closure too.
your gambling with so much in a small aged community
wow.this is money over health .ignorant and dumb.the long effect this could have on the public of nantwich and its surrounding areas ,its doctors and Leighton hosptail has the potential to be catastrophic. why do these organisers feel this is something that were safe from.look at the facts locally,nationally and globally!! IGNORANCE!
it wont be happen.
regardless of the organisers views pubs will be shut,we’re being told not to go to pubs today,if we carry on they will be closed and that will be that
I seem to recall some years ago a debate as to where the money from this festival was directed, with policing being the main recipient. With a ratio of maybe 5 to 1 in preference of unpaid specials etc this was rightly questioned. Does this unjustifiable latest stance re-affirm the doubts as money seems more important than the health of visitors and residents.
Completely irresponsible, bringing people from other areas into town. Absolutely disgraceful. Full steam ahead? Leighton Hospital will never cope – I hope Abbi Elwood is prepared to take full responsibility for the impending disaster
What an ignorant view, just because you can’t fit 500 people into a single venue for the event doesn’t mean that there won’t be a much larger number of people in close proximity to one another across the town centre. Pure greed. I know, let’s try to bring in loads of people into a town with an elderly population to make a bit of money and if it kills some of them, ah well, not our fault.
Is it not irresponsible, in view of the virus, to invite thousands of people, from all over the country, into a town with a large population of elderly people? There is no controlling how many people will be on the streets, or at the concert at the Bank Stage, or in the Square. One person could infect many others in this situation.
Sorry the capacity is misleading, it it the total capacity in and around the event that is the concern. Can you clarify what additional measures are being out in place to ensure that visitors and locals are supported and the risk of infection from the event is minimised
Very odd timing for this announcement, just before a COBRA meeting. This is massively irresponsible and will hugely increase the risk of contracting coronavirus. The Festival attracts up to 40,000 people from all over the country – providing the perfect conditions for spreading coronavirus in Nantwich and beyond.
You must take this threat seriously. Cancel it now.