Date: Friday 2nd – Monday 5th July 2021
Location: Somewhere in South Shropshire
Theme: 60 Years of Mining Projects
Host: Shropshire Caving & Mining Club with support of other local organisations
Apologies for this being a long entry, but we just want to ensure that everyone is kept informed:
The Coronavirus pandemic continues, but there are signs of optimism, and hopefully many of us may be vaccinated against the disease by the time NAMHO 2021 takes place.
The Shropshire Caving and Mining Club still intends to hold a Conference in South Shropshire (2nd to 5th July 2021), and some progress has been made in its planning. However, with the remaining uncertainties we have decided that the original choice of venue is no longer suitable. A more modest option of a village hall is now to be adopted.
It is intended to carry out underground and surface field events, as well as a full talks programme, and they will obviously be conducted under whatever Covid-19 guidelines may be in place at the time. Presently, we are looking at a range of choices on venue, so are unable to provide clearer details at the moment. It also seems likely that individual delegates will have to sort out their own accommodation and catering arrangements, as these are the elements most likely to be disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions in terms of mass gatherings.
SCMC have already sent out a flyer via the NAMHO Newsletter requesting potential speakers who might attend the Conference. It is understandable that given the situation uptake has been slow. No one wants to make a decision so far ahead. On the plus side, the rapid growth in video meetings and conferencing since lockdown provides us with an additional opportunity for this conference. We believe that we should have sufficient onsite facilities to allow us to both provide a virtual programme of lectures, as well as a real time live event (where numbers indoors may still be controlled). Further it will also be possible for speakers to provide an online presentation if they are not able to attend in person. This obviously provides international speakers with an opportunity too.
One aspect of planning the event is to know the approximate number of people who might attend so that equipment and human resources can be allocated to the different functions. It would help us immensely to have an estimate of how many might attend the Conference.
If you intend to come to the NAMHO Conference next year please contact the Conference organisers to register your interest. This will also allow us to e-mail you updates on trips, lectures and the overall programme as it becomes available.
Email
[email protected] to register your intent to attend the NAMHO Conference next year. If you are shielding or have any concerns on the safety of the event then the virtual option will be available, but we would still like to hear from you. We will run a centralised booking system using the same software that has been used in the last few years, but we may not launch it for active booking until February or March.
Please also contact Rob Vernon directly if you intend to give a presentation.
[email protected].
If you have any queries, I am happy to try and answer them by PM (private message) or contact the organisers directly on
[email protected]Hoping to see many of you next Summer
Alan Robinson