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Accessibility

We want Sidmouth Folk Festival to be inclusive, accessible and enjoyed by all. We are committed to improving the experience and information available for all and welcome your feedback on this journey.

We recognise that disabilities are not always visible. Everyone is welcome to be part of the Festival, regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, identity, age, ability or religion. We have a zero-tolerance policy for disrespectful, hurtful, or discriminatory behaviour of any nature. We strive to communicate and encourage everyone to follow our Safer Spaces Policy.

About the Festival

Sidmouth Folk Festival takes place across a wide range of venues, both indoors and outdoors throughout the Regency Town. Pavements throughout the town can get very busy. Weather conditions will affect the overall state of the ground at the main festival venues (Ham, Bulverton, Blackmore, and the Campsite).

A more detailed description of Festival venues & access can be found here.

ACCESSIBILITY

If you have any questions relating to accessibility please email access@sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk.

We try to make the Festival as accommodating as possible to all people. Wheelchair access is available at most venues (see Venue Access Summary here) and our volunteer stewards are always ready to assist with any special requirements.

If special requirements exist, such as the positioning of a wheelchair, please let us know in advance. It is the ticket holder’s responsibility to contact the venue to make sure that their requirements are known. Venue stewards will do their best to accommodate all such requests.

Personal Assistant Ticket – Book Online

In order to qualify you will need to provide the box office at the festival with one of the following when collecting your tickets:
– Front page of DLA / PIP award letter (no specific rate)
– Front page of Attendance Allowance letter (no specific rate)
– Evidence that registered severely sight impaired (blind)
– Recognised Assistance Dog ID card

All Personal Assistant Tickets are collection only. The qualifying documentation must be an original and current as of the dates of the festival.  All Personal Assistants should be aged 18+ years.

Accessible Camping

Please email us to arrange camping in a more accessible area of the Campsite

Mobility Scooter

hire is available in Sidmouth: https://www.coastlinemobility.com/hire. Charging points are available at the Campsite.

Toliets

Details of venues facilities can be found here.

We have worked with Sam Vestey, who attends National Star College in Cheltenham, to rethink how disabled access signage looks across the Festival. Sam is campaigning to make the familiar disabled sign more inclusive for people with non-visible disabilities. The 21-year-old believes the wheelchair icon featured on blue badges and disabled parking bays is outdated.

He is promoting a new, more inclusive logo that was chosen following a competition in specialist colleges. It shows two able bodied people with a third person in a wheelchair and the wording, “Some disabilities are visible. Some are not. Take care of each other”.

“Only 7% of disabled people use a wheelchair. That means this logo isn’t relevant for the other 93% of people with disabilities. Surely, it’s time for a change,” says Sam. “It’s great that Sidmouth Folk Festival is using the new logo and promoting accessibility.”

Information for Blind and Visually Impaired People

If you require information emailed to you in Word format, please email access@sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk before 26th July. If you require information in Braille or Audio described please contact us before 14th June to enable copies to be produced. They will be reserved for collection on arrival at the site Box Office.

Food & Drink

All Festival caterers ensure that their menus and service is accessible to all and cater for a range of food intolerances.

Lighting Production

There will be NO “Strobe lighting” at the festival. There will be flashing lights and sometimes lights shining directly on the audience.

Sign Language

We do not yet have hearing loops or British Sign Language available.

SAFEGUARDING

We expect everyone participating in our activities, to respect volunteers, and fellow visitors and participants.

We will not tolerate aggressive, discriminatory, disruptive, harassing or offensive behaviour.

If you witness or experience behaviour you are uncomfortable with, please speak to, or contact, a Festival Volunteer who will ensure that this is dealt with and followed up appropriately with the Festival Safeguarding team.

At the Festival we will actively promote the principle of consent regarding activities on-site at events, defining consent as “someone engaging in activities if they agree by choice, and they have the freedom and capacity to make that choice” and reiterating that consent can be revoked at any time.

SFF Anti-Harassment+Policy

How To Be An Active Bystander