Covid puts paid to Halloween at Wisbech Castle ‘so we shall have to wait and do an bigger and better event in 2021’
Councillor Steve Tierney, the outgoing chairman of the Wisbech Castle committee. Picture: HARRY RUTTER - Credit: Archant
Wisbech Castle seems unlikely to open again to the public until the New Year.
The outgoing chair of the castle working party, Cllr Steve Tierney, says he had been hoping it would re-open for a Halloween event but that has proven impossible.
On the castle Facebook page, he writes: “We have been hoping that the lockdown rules would ease enough to be able to do a Halloween event again.
“Sadly, with the new six-person limit to gatherings it just doesn’t seem feasible.”
“It looks like Covid has put paid to that, so we shall have to wait and do an even bigger and better event in 2021.
“Sorry to un-spook you all this year, but the best is yet to come.”
Earlier he posted that “sadly the time has come for me to move on and let somebody take over as chair.
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“There are a few improvements that I want to see complete so I intend to step down in October”.
Cllr Tierney added: “Sadly, there are a few individuals who will never stop attacking the castle while I am the chairman of it - and It’s just not fair for our volunteers or the castle project to have to get drawn into all that.”
Cllr Tierney was re-elected chair of the castle management committee at its most recent meeting on July 20.
The castle is owned by Cambridgeshire County Council but leased to the town council on a peppercorn rent.
The town council agreed to take responsibility for the castle fearing that it would “sold into private hands and lost to the people of Wisbech”.
Volunteers have transformed the gardens since its acquisition by the town council and made improvements to the inside of the house.
First visitors of the year were due to be allowed in at the end of February but the date was put back to mid-March by which time the coronavirus pandemic had kicked in.
In July, the castle advertised preparations for reopening and later announced dates in August when it would open.
“We will initially open only occasional days but will gradually ramp up to a full re-opening, probably in September,” their Facebook page announced.
However, neither the castle or the café has re-opened.
The town council is yet to announce who will taking over as chair of the castle working party and castle committee.