Is it because it is a Leap Year?

I don't know whether the upcoming Leap Year has caused problems with the calendar but an unexpected problem has arisen.

Our Knitting and Crochet group at the local library has contentedly met on the fourth Saturday of each month - apart from December - for many years. It is a time which has worked well. 

People come and go from the group. Some people come along and get some help they need and then don't come back. They often tell us things like, "I'd love to come all the time but..." and "I want to come more often but I have to take the kids to..." I know that Saturday afternoons are busy times for many people and for many reasons. The library staff know that too. 

There is also a small core of people who are regulars and a rather larger group who get there when they can, perhaps five or six times a year. They come because they know "it's the fourth Saturday" and they can be sure of finding the group there.

We don't pay to use the space. It is a community service provided by the local council. I am also aware that the group is much more than "just a knitting and crochet group". It is a social support network. We have had people who have come along for months while they sort themselves out. They tend to disappear after a while but it's fine if they no longer need the group. We have always tried to make sure people feel comfortable and welcome. Two of us also do a lot of teaching in the group - G....does most of the crochet and I do most of the knitting.We have done some group projects that have produced blankets for those in need and raised money by making Christmas tree ornaments for a Christmas Tree Festival. The regulars were there for me when things went horribly wrong at one point. We survived the Covid lockdown because we knew that we would be back on the fourth Saturdays supporting each other.

But perhaps not any more. The committee responsible for making sure the meeting rooms are available produced a flier and presented it to those of us present at the last meeting. "We had to change when you meet because otherwise there would be three groups meeting at the same time." There is no room for the group and the other groups all to meet at the same time. There are actually four meeting rooms and spaces inside the library itself but the committee seems to feel it isn't possible to accommodate a regular time. There are dates all over the place, some on the first Saturday, some on the second or the third and only three on the fourth.

Sadly I know this will mean the group will no longer work in the same way. It may not work at all. People won't look dates up. They will just know "there's a group which meets at "x" time in "y"place and I can go there to get some help." Even the regulars are going to forget that the dates are no longer regular and easy to remember. Some of them, like me, will have other commitments and not be able to get there. Those first Saturdays clash with other groups who cannot change to accommodate the new times proposed by the library.

I have put this in writing to the committee and expressed my concerns as nicely as possible but it may be too late. It may well mean the end of the group. I hope not but human psychology suggests otherwise.