Festival Spirit

I talked about hidden labour and disability admin on BBC Wales News. Beyond grateful to have been given this opportunity and to journalists like Kate who tell stories that matter. I got so many messages of support, showing just how much we need this kind of coverage. You can read more here https://lnkd.in/dfpKPPz7

New from me for The Telegraph: Ten of the most accessible cities in Europe, and how to visit them. 🌏👩🏼🦽 Travelling as a disabled person presents a unique set of challenges that often go overlooked. From navigating cobblestone streets to finding truly accessible accommodation, it’s clear that “fully accessible” remains an unhelpful and often inaccurate term. As a wheelchair user and someone who is neurodivergent, I spend a lot of time explaining to others that accessibility is not a one-size-fits-all concept. What works for me might not work for a deaf person or someone with dementia. The needs of disabled people are diverse and multifaceted, and it’s vital that we acknowledge this in discussions of accessible travel. The article offers a starting point to explore accessibility across Europe, keeping in mind that everyone’s needs are unique. On the list: Berlin, Germany Vienna, Austria Barcelona, Spain Warsaw, Poland Rotterdam, Netherlands London, UK Stockholm, Sweden Paris, France Copenhagen, Denmark Lisbon, Portugal I’m really proud of this one, as it’s so rare that disability is presented in the mainstream in a nuanced way. Read more at this link: https://lnkd.in/ePZhd6BH #AccessibleTravel #EuropeanCities

Inclusion. A somewhat personal post, which makes a change for me but spurred on by Sarah Fletcher that it's OK to put personal stuff on here and show a bit of who we are beyond the day job, here's a fairly long post about one of my 'spare time' activities, inclusion, and a piece about it that BBC News South Today featured recently. I'm proud to be one of the co-founders of Festival Spirit. Throughout the weekend of August 1-4 we had an amazing group of people get a full-on festival experience at Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire. All pretty average stuff perhaps... but all are full-time wheelchair users. The government's National Strategy for Disabled People (2021) indicates that over one in five people in the UK have a disability. The charity Sense which campaigns for disabled people to be able to enrich their lives with arts, culture and leisure activities, states that 30 million people in the UK attend festivals each year. However, they add that fewer than 0.5% of people who go to festivals are disabled. This means that fewer than 1% of disabled people take part in a leisure activity that is a big part of British summertime. And it's no wonder when so many simply can't contemplate the idea of camping in a field, sleeping on a campbed or airbed, with no way of transferring to/from their chair with any dignity, or even maintaining their body temperature if it gets cold. These are the kind of practical issues that Festival Spirit exists to overcome for our guests and to open up festivals to a whole new group of people. People who want to enjoy a festival just like anyone else but are excluded from doing so. We hear so much about diversity, equity and inclusion these days but precious little of that is about including those with disability in activities they should be able to access. So hats off to the team from MAMA & Company / Festival Republic - Rory Bett, Emma Kirkby, Emma W., Joshua Sandford and all the accessibility crew past and present for understanding what inclusion really means and supporting us and our guests to be and feel fully included at Wilderness Festival. All this wouldn't be possible without a committed team of volunteers who willingly give up 2-4 days of annual leave and a whole weekend of their own time to make it all happen, in exchange for tired and aching muscles, a shed load of fun and the most heart warming experiences facilitating our guests having a wonderful time. Ross Denton, Katrina Chia, Thomas Short, Katie White, Paul Thompson, Deborah Clarke, Brooke Manning - such a dream team! Here's an insight into what it means for our guests and why we do what we do. Thanks to Clodagh Stenson and Hannah Walsh at BBC News for taking such an interest in what we do and why. #inclusion #accessibilty #musicfestivals

Wilderness Festival HQ weekend was spent with the incredible charity Festival Spirit who help take disabled people to experience a festival. I had a whale of a time - My article is published by Ability Today - https://lnkd.in/effMMTcp #festival #ADJNews #Abilitytoday #FestivalSpirit #disability