I AM sure it will come as no surprise to all of you that following the announcement from the Government regarding school closures, CODS has had to abandon its plans to stage "Sister Act" at Queen Elizabeth’s School from Monday, April 6 to Saturday, April 11.

Please be assured that whether or not the decision to close the school had been made then the society had already put into place a contingency plan, however, the announcement has made it easier to organise and we are now going full steam ahead with this alternative.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who had purchased tickets in advance, who had agreed to sponsor our production and to advertise in our programme.

With about a month to go ticket sales were just about 70 per cent which is an incredible statistic and the show was heading for a sell out. The cast and the production team were so excited with the production that we had to deliver and we were all looking forward to giving you a special evening out. It is a very entertaining show and we had enjoyed all the camaraderie putting it together.

This is not the end.

I am delighted to announce that we have been granted a licence to defer our production until next year.

"Sister Act" will now be performed from Monday, April 12 to Saturday, April 17, 2021, with the same cast, the same costumes, the same set and we hope the same audience.

I can assure those that purchased tickets that I kept a book throughout giving me details of the seats allocated and the payment received. This will now be carried over to next year and your seats will be allocated to you when the tickets go on general release. (Put the date in your diaries now!)

If for any reason you find the same day of the week does not suit, then you will be able to move but may not get the same seats if those are already taken on that particular night.

To those who did not purchase tickets, this does mean that there will only be about 400 seats available when tickets go on sale at the beginning of 2021.

Should you wish to reserve some of those then email me now on: [email protected] and you will be given first option on the remaining tickets.

If you cannot make the show dates next year, we would kindly ask that if you are willing and able to, that you consider donating your ticket to the society instead of requesting a refund.

While we have been able to recoup some of our costs from our insurers due to abandonment, this unfortunately does not cover all costs and does not cover any loss of income.

We rely heavily on our ticket sales to produce funds, not just for the current production, but also future productions and the general running costs of the society, so this donation would go significantly towards helping us to continue providing entertainment for the community going forward.

If, however, you feel that this is something you are not able to do, then please do contact us.

CODS is delighted that all the work put in by the cast and the production team is not going to be wasted.

The welfare of our Members, our Friends and our supporters is paramount at this most difficult time for everyone.

The society thanks everyone for their understanding in this matter and CODS look forward to entertaining you all when circumstances allow.

Mike Canning