Coronavirus Guidelines

It is lovely to have workshops up and running again here At Birkhill House. We thought it would be useful to provide some information on what our safe workshop spaces are like in order to enable you to make an informed decision about whether you are ready to join us.


We want to offer a welcoming social space that encourages you to be both creative and safe. This means limited workshop places and socially distanced, outdoors and/or screened indoor workspaces. This will vary depending on the type of workshop being run - and the weather - but could include screened seating inside our workshop spaces or working outdoors under our sun shades or in the open barn.


The workshop spaces are cleaned in between each workshop session. Surfaces, floors and contact points - like door handles and light switches - are all cleaned with antibacterial wash.


The artist or maker running the workshop will wear a mask indoors whenever they are within two metres of participants or when they are moving around the work stations. You will not be required to wear a mask while at your work station but you will need to put a mask on before leaving your station and moving around or through the workshop spaces.


You can find a more exhaustive list of our COVID precautions below. These guidelines will be updated to take account of the latest guidance from the Scottish Government, so please be aware they may change at short notice.

Keeping ourselves safe - At Birkhill House will:

• Clean all surfaces in the work space with antibacterial products

before and after each workshop.

• Provide anti-bacterial hand sanitiser and wipes at each work

station.

• Encourage participants to bring their own water bottle and

provide access to drinking water.

• Invest in PPE equipment and ensure everyone using the space is

aware of our guidelines and current Scottish government

regulations and guidance. 

• Invest in additional workshop equipment and materials to

minimise the need for sharing.

• Limit the number of people attending workshops to meet current

Scottish Government safe distancing guidelines.

• Keep windows and doors open to provide ventilation.

• Require those attending a workshop to confirm they have no

COVID-19 symptoms (new continuous cough, fever, or loss of

or change in sense of smell or taste), and have not been in

close contact with anyone who has within the previous 14 day

period.

• Require those attending who subsequently exhibit any COVID-19

symptoms to inform us.

Keeping our space safe - At Birkhill House will:

• Limit the number attending our workshops to no more than 8, with possible exceptions for workshops that are entirely outdoors.

• Create 8 individual workstations using tall perspex screen in-between (except for children under 12 or partners living in same or separate home as per current government guidance on allowable coronavirus groupings/‘bubbles’).

• Use face coverings - the artists and makers running our workshops will wear a mask; participants will be asked to wear a face covering when not sitting at their work station.

• Encourage frequent hand washing and provide soap, disposable paper towels and anti-bacterial wipes.

• Invest in additional equipment and materials to limit the need for sharing - any shared equipment or materials will be managed by the artist or maker running the workshop and will be wiped down after each use.

• Either refund money or allow it to be used to pay for, or towards, the cost of any other workshop in case of cancellation due to Covid.

• Offer our artists and participants the opportunity to postpone workshops or workshop bookings until a future date if they are unable to meet our guidelines, or prefer to wait due to their own own personal health situation.

These guidelines dated are 22 August 2021 and will be reviewed regularly to check they are still compliant with the latest Scottish Government COVID-19 guidance and updated as necessary.


contact

Birkhill House

Earlston TD4 6AR

email & phone

lara_armitage@hotmail.com

07779 339 653