Kapitol Promotions Ltd has issued details of the follow-up action it will be undertaking as part of its Covid-19 post-contest review process following the National Finals at Cheltenham and London.
It has been reported that a number of players from bands that took part in both events have registered positive for Covid-19, although there is no evidence that the source of infection was at the contest venues themselves.
By signing the COVID-19 Code of Behaviour, we required bands to undertake their own Risk Assessment considering age, health and vulnerable members' needs as well as adherence to measures put in placeKapitol
Praised
As contest promoters Kapitol was praised for the way in which the events at The Centaur in Cheltenham and the Royal Albert Hall in London were run in accordance to existing Covid-19 guidelines and protocols, as well as those put in place by Tony Griffiths, the appointed Kapitol Promotions Health and Wellbeing Officer.
4BR understands that Tony Griffiths will contact all participating bands to collate information about their National finals experiences and to gain feedback to help Kapitol in administering its events in future.
The statement:
The Finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2021, as with many other large events, were allowed to go ahead without restrictions from 19 July 2021.
Kapitol Promotions clearly listened to comments and fears from the bands and their communities, as well as being in direct contact with the DCMS, initiating measures that mitigated the spread of the COVID-19 virus as much as possible.
All bands taking part were given extensive guidance on the procedures during the event. For the Championship Section Final 2021, the Royal Albert Hall required and checked the COVID-19 status of everyone involved in the event prior to their admission via the performers entrance, and bands declared their performers' COVID-19 status with a negative LFT result 48 hours prior to their performance at both Finals events.
By signing the COVID-19 Code of Behaviour, we required bands to undertake their own Risk Assessment considering age, health and vulnerable members' needs as well as adherence to measures put in place, mitigating risks as much as possible.
Regular checks and cleaning of the areas accessed by bands at the Centaur (Cheltenham Racecourse) and the Royal Albert Hall were undertaken as well as performance spaces. Bands co-operated with our requests to leave those areas as they would wish to find them, and no significant issues were identified or reported to us.
The Kapitol Promotions Event Crew was grateful for the kindness and co-operation shown by all bands at both venues, which contributed to successful Finals 2021 events that were presented under difficult circumstances.
Like most other large-scale events, we had no control over how people interacted outside of our jurisdiction — although we did ask bands to acknowledge the continuing presence of the virus and act responsibly: by maintaining and respecting social distancing, practicing good hygiene and by wearing a face covering. This was especially relevant in social settings.
In accordance with our COVID-19 Policy, Tony Griffiths (Kapitol Promotions Health and Wellbeing Officer) will undertake a post-contest review on COVID-19 and other matters. He will contact all participating bands in due course, considering and logging all appropriate feedback. This will help shape our ongoing response to these matters.
Finally, we offer our good wishes to all bands and look forward to the Regional Championships of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain 2022. We continue to work with bands and their respective Regional Committees to present the "Nationals", acknowledging the ongoing issues with COVID-19 and matters affecting the wellbeing of our banding communities.
Tony Griffiths
Health and Wellbeing Officer
