Dearest Nestlings,
Some decisions are hard to make and even harder to announce, so it is with heavy hearts that we confirm this year’s Burning Nest is cancelled.
**Update 28th April: we now have an FAQ covering membership refunds here**
This decision was not taken lightly and with the principle of Civic Responsibility in mind and in light of the unfolding coronavirus situation, we have taken the pre-emptive step and incredibly tough decision to hold off running our event in 2020.
We have our community’s best interests at heart and feel it is our duty of care to protect our Nestlings from large scale gatherings. While the UK government has not yet officially curtailed these events, we believe it is only a matter of time before they follow suit.
I've bought a membership and want a refund - what do I do?
Although our terms and conditions state that memberships are non-refundable we will be doing everything in our power to return as much as possible back to you. Given the complexities of an event this size and the fact we’re a community and volunteer organisation, please be patient whilst we navigate the best way to deal with this unprecedented situation. We will be releasing further information about this in the next week or so.
I have applied for a grant for an art project or theme camp to bring to Nest - what do I do?
Rest assured that if you have already spent grant money on an art piece, we will be reimbursing your costs as normal. We wish we could have seen all your art and hope that you can still create it for 2021.
We want to assure you that all your amazing work, time and investment whether it be physical, emotional or financial will not be going to waste. We will be back in 2021 and we hope that coming through this difficult time as a community will just serve to make us stronger and bring us closer together.
Burning Nest is a beautiful experiment in community and we will continue as one. There are many things more important than a Burn, namely everyone’s health, and safety (in spite of what we may often repeat) comes first.
This could be a wonderful time to reflect and think about other important things in your life, where else to invest the energies we'd have exerted in preparation and during the Burn. We might want to invest them in ourselves, loved ones, friends, charities, local projects or getting things done that you've been putting off for ages. Even learning a new skill or reading the book you've been meaning to for ages. Please remember to be kind and compassionate to yourselves and fellow humans as we need it more than ever right now.
Great communities thrive whilst coming together during times of crisis and I know that our wonderful Nestlings will do just that.
Thank you all for understanding - we are really sad to have to make this decision.
We will be releasing more information in the next week or so, but in the meantime, if you have any questions, please email us or contact us on any of our social media networks.
The Effigy Burns in 439 (ish) days!