Return journey starts step by step...

If you are now used to the daily Government update on returning to the ‘‘new normal’’, it sometimes seems restrictions are going on and on. Then all of a sudden there is an announcement that indoor youth work activities will shortly be able to resume with an indicative date of August 31. However no specific guidelines around what this means have yet been published. The CEO of the BB Jonathan Eales does however indicate that they plan on moving to Stage 3, Outdoor Only, from September 1. This means that leader led outdoor face-to-face activities may resume provided the approval process outlined in the BB guidance framework has been completed. This will be reviewed and further updates circulated. He indicates too that as we carefully start on our journey ‘‘back’’ it is important to stress that the focus must be on the safety of all the BB family; young and old. Because we ‘‘can’’ do something does not mean we ‘‘must’’. Company and local circumstances will dictate individual actions and, for example, if you have already planned to use virtual activities for the start of the session, he encourages you so to do. One of the many challenges ahead is assessing the meeting facilities to be used whether church hall or school. Even with the government indicating the possibilities above, civil servants will still need to refine the details and for example in Church of Scotland premises guidance will need to come from the central church and be supervised by presbyteries on matters such as risk assessment, numbers, social spacing, face coverings, sanitising arrangements, registration for Test and Protect, etc.; so every effort will need to be made to liase with all property providers. Nonetheless the journey seems to have begun. Did you recognise last week’s BB family described in the article? Quite a number of you did but for those wondering, I was indebted to John Munro and his wife, Mary, whose brothers mentioned were Roy and Ian Baillie.