Bookings

by the Revd Dr William Lamb

Since reopening for public worship following the first lockdown, we have used Eventbrite to enable people to register their attendance at services. This has enabled us to monitor numbers (particularly during periods when the restrictions were tight) and to ensure that we were able to retain contact details for 'track and trace' purposes for a period of 21 days following the service. 

Now that the University Term has ended, we have decided to stop using Eventbrite for advance registration for services at St Mary’s. This follows a similar arrangement for the 8.30am service in recent weeks. In future, you will not need to book in advance at the 10.30am Sung Eucharist. We are fortunate in having such a large building which affords plenty of space and we have worked hard to ensure that we can increase capacity while remaining within government guidelines. Obviously, people will need to continue to sit in those designated places when directed by the stewards. At the same time, everyone will need to continue wearing masks (unless they have an exemption). We will need to maintain social distancing within the building. Thank you for your patience and cooperation with this. 

At the same time, we need to ensure that we collect ’track and trace’ details. On arrival, you will be asked to fill in a form at the door to register your attendance or you may simply use the NHS App and the QR code printed at the door and in the Order of Service to register your attendance. This will enable Public Health England to contact you in the event that a person attending a service tests positive for COVID. 

Obviously, we will keep these arrangements under review. We have made huge strides since the introduction of the vaccination programme, but we cannot afford to be complacent. We want to make sure that those attending services at St Mary’s can worship freely. At the same time, we need to keep everyone safe.