News
Tier changes across Britain: Eastern Quest Championship affected
- Written By: British Dressage
- Published: Thu, 17 Dec 2020 20:55
Following the government announcements from England, Scotland and Wales in the last couple of days there have been a number of changes confirmed around the restrictions in place across the home nations.
BD activity continues in all three nations, but the restrictions vary from region to region, so members should once again check the latest status for the areas that they reside in, or travel to, when they compete and train.
England
On Wednesday this week, London, most of Essex and parts of Hertfordshire moved into Tier 3 status. In addition, the Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock announced a number of areas which will also change tiers, from Saturday 19 December onwards.
These following areas will move from Tier 2 to Tier 3:
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Hastings and Rother
- The whole of Hertfordshire
- Peterborough
- Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant
- Surrey, except Waverley
Bristol and North Somerset will move from Tier 3 to Tier 2, while Herefordshire will move from Tier 2 to Tier 1. If you’re unsure which tier your post code is in, you can check online.
Bedfordshire moving into Tier 3 means that Keysoe has unfortunately had to take the decision to cancel the Eastern Region Quest Finals. With competitors travelling from a number of areas across the region, often making long journeys and requiring overnight stays, the decision was made in the interests of the health and safety for all concerned. All entries will be refunded in due course.
Katharine Perry, Eastern Regional Development Officer commented; “The new team at Keysoe are very disappointed to have to make this decision and have considered a number of options, but with the Tier 3 restrictions in place the only feasible decision was to cancel. I would like to thank all of the competitors who have worked so hard to qualify and get here for their support. We’ve already had to reschedule this fixture once and everyone has been so resilient and flexible in response, but sadly it’s just not meant to be.”
The final placings will now be as per the final standings on the leaderboard at the end of the qualifying period. Rosettes, sashes and plaques will be sent to the worthy recipients early in the New Year.
All other BD competitions and shows can continue to operate under our protocols as previously outlined. The LeMieux Grand Prix Championships will still take place behind closed doors at Hartpury next week, on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December, and will be run under elite sport protocols. Members will be able to enjoy all of the action from the comfort of their own home with free live streaming brought to you by Horse & Country.
Wales
The First Minister earlier this week announced that a new tiered system would also be put in place in Wales and confirmed that the country would move to alert level 4 from 28 December. This is the equivalent of a full national lockdown, similar to the recent circuit breaker at the end of October, although this has not been time limited in this instance.
This means that all BD competition and training activity will once again be suspended throughout Wales from 28 December onwards, until the government downgrades the restrictions from Level 4. Exercise outdoors is permitted, but as in previous lockdowns the advice will be that it should "start and end at home" and non-essential travel to access venues or other locations is not permitted. Travel to care for the welfare of horses will continue to be permitted.
Tighter restrictions on household mixing, staying-at-home, holiday accommodation and travel will apply from December 28, after the five day Christmas period. All non-essential retail, including close contact services and all leisure and fitness centres, will close at the end of trading on Christmas Eve, while all hospitality premises will close from 6pm on Christmas Day.
We are awaiting full details on the implications for our coaches, judges, organisers and venues and will provide further information for these stakeholder groups as soon as it becomes available.
Scotland
The First Minister announced changes to three Local Authority levels. Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and East Lothian will all move to alert Level 3, effective from 6.00pm on Friday 18th December. The First Minister also confirmed that there will now be a further review on Tuesday 22 December.
For more information on the mandatory travel restrictions that apply in Scotland and how they affect sporting activity, please visit the horsescotland website:
