June 12th London meetup in a Park

Edit: my train line has been shut down by an accident so I will be late, sorry I’ll get there as fast as I can

Edit: now meeting 2pm

Hello everyone!

Sorry it’s been a long time, but to be honest I couldn’t cope with yet another online meeting.

However, the rules in England now allow up to 30 people to meet outdoors, so let’s try this thing. If it works I’ll do another next month.

12th June, 2pm, Hyde Park.

Please bring your own:

1. Picnic blanket or similar
2. Any folding chairs etc. you may want to use
3. Food and drink for yourself
4. Masks unless you’re exempt
5. Crafting things if you want
6. Umbrella, waterproofs etc. if needed

At the moment the weather forecast looks okay, but who knows?

As we are only permitted to meet in groups of up to 30, please email me at the below to say you’re coming. If I get to 30 people I will update this post to say no more spaces.

No RSVPs via any other method accepted – e.g. no text messages, no comments here, no facebook likes, etc. Please make sure you email me.

Please make sure you also update me if you RSVP yes but later can’t come, to ensure that a space doesn’t go unused.

I will email the confirmed people with a map link to show the exact location in the park, and I will have my plush Chthulu which looks like this:

Other things to bear in mind:

1. Please make sure you follow social distancing rules. This particularly includes respecting people’s personal space and their choices about distancing.
2. We have all had a terrible time for the last year. Sharing your struggles is okay and is part of what the group is for, but we need to be careful not to overwhelm each other or have the conversation be entirely negative. Where I usually draw the line here is that personal struggles are fine to talk about but political rants are discouraged, but I may have to move this line on the day when I see how things go. Don’t worry, I will tell you!
3. Probably lots of us have forgotten how to be around people (most likely me as well), so here is permission to walk away if you need space. Also a reminder that we will all react differently, so be careful to give others space if they need.

The park has public toilets available.

I’m afraid I don’t know if the toilets are fully accessible or if they have a payment for use – if anyone does know, please drop a note in the comments.

I will cancel this meetup if government guidance changes or if the weather is truly prohibitive, so keep an eye on this space.

kate DOT towner AT gmail DOT com