No Swanwick This Year

Well, I finally received the news today. My annual visit to the Swanwick Writers' Summer School isn't happening this year. I suspected this would be the case for some time, but I'm still saddened by the announcement.

I can't imagine how stressful it's been for the committee, especially because the ball hasn't entirely been in their court. The Christian Conferences Trust, who manage the Hayes Conference Centre where the retreat is held, had been intending to re-open by July with social distancing measures in place. If the school committee had intended to cancel when the venue was still willing to accommodate them, they could still be charged for the booking. Such a move, combined with having to refund everybody, would potentially result in the school going into liquidation. In other words, no more Swanwick, and another institution to hold a grudge against.

Fortunately, the Hayes have said they wouldn't be able to implement social distancing. That also means they're not invoking the cancellation clause, and there'll still be a Swanwick in 2021.

Swanwick has had a major influence on my life. When I went for the first time in 2016, I left thinking "I just want to write". I've gone back every year since, and it influenced my decision to go to university. In fact, last year it was the highlight of my summer. Pandemics aside, I live in a small town where there isn't much to do, and I don't have a lot of friends who live locally. Even my writers' group was two towns over. Being a mature student means that most of my friends from my school days have already finished with university and are living further afield. Even if they aren't, most are working full-time now. Some have even got kids. I got more social contact in the one week at Swanwick than I did for the whole three months I was home for the summer holidays. In other words, summer gets lonely, and I feel like a kid being told that Christmas is cancelled.

2020 would have been my fifth Swanwick, and I hoped to commemorate this milestone by running a course. Now that my assignments are finished, it would have given me something to work on with an external deadline.

The school's committee have previously stated that in the event of cancellation, those planning to attend had the option of a refund or their booking to be carried over. Personally, I think it's probably better for it to be carried over (this is something most festivals are encouraging people to do).

Well, maybe I'll be able to run my course next year.