Organisers of the Keswick Convention have given an assurance that they will act responsibly amid concerns that visitor numbers to the Lake District will be rocketing when the event is staged this summer.
The Christian gathering usually attracts 12,000 people during its three-week run which this year will come when the town is expected to be swamped by post-lockdown staycationers.
The convention is run by Keswick Ministries, whose director James Robson told town councillors he was aware of “extraordinary figures” about the number of holidaymakers who would be coming to the Lakes this year. “Forty million, I have heard, “ said Mr Robson.
But he assured councillors at their latest online meeting that plans were already in place to ensure that the convention, from July 17 to August 6, runs smoothly while also maintaining social distancing regulations for everyone attending.
Colleague David Sawday said the 2021 convention – the first largely at its new base on the pencil factory site – would switch from having one main 4,000-capacity marquee to several smaller ones, each for up to 1,000 socially-distanced people who would all be individually scanned in.
Mr Sawday said the key words were “caution, flexibility and a good deal of optimism for the summer ahead.”
The convention remains free to attend and does not normally limit numbers but this year pre-registration will be compulsory from mid-April to check the amount of people, all of who will have to wear face masks.
Mr Sawday said conventioners would be encouraged to stagger their departure to avoid crowding in the town centre and that coffees, crepes and ice creams would be available in a “village area” to assist this.
Keswick’s mayor Paul Titley had expressed concern about a possible repeat of large numbers of people leaving the convention at the same time, as used to happen at its former base in Skiddaw Street.
Last year’s convention was held entirely online.
