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Posts Tagged ‘Travel’
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The Best Inclusive Autumn Food Festivals Part 2
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
This is continuation of yesterday’s article ”The Best Inclusive Autumn Food Festivals“. The festival recommendations came from the an article in the Observer and here at OpenBritain we’ve undertaken research to try to make them inclusive for all.
As I continued to research based on the Observer’s Article I found myself becoming more and more frustrated due to the lack of information for people with disabilities. The norm is that event organisers only provide information for wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments, the needs of people with other disabilities such as sensory impairments or hidden disabilities are generally ignored or maybe it’s because they are too complicated to be addressed.
Of the seventeen festivals listed in the Observer’s article only 4 of them actually give any information for people with disabilities and in most cases I had to dig around to find that. Some of the events take place at multiple venues, most notably city wide festivals such as the ones in Nottingham, York and Manchester, therefore maybe the reason or excuse for not providing information is that the organisers do not have the resources to collect the data required. However, when considering that many of these events are sponsored by or in collaboration with local councils and tourist information boards surely they have a duty to be inclusive and provide information for everyone.
Although the events from the Observer article don’t have any information for people with disabilities, a friend sent me a link to the Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival (19th & 20th September) who have provided quite a lot of access information for people with disabilities. I also wrote an article on Monday regarding the Coastal Currents Arts Festival in Hastings so it would seem that at least in East Sussex event organisers are becoming more inclusive.
Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival Accessibility Information
We aim for this festival to be inclusive and accessible to a wide range of people and abilities, so an access audit of the site has been carried out by a local access auditing organisation. This has helped inform the festival plans and layout. Wheelchair and buggy access has been considered in the entertainments marquee on the beach – there will be hard wooden flooring laid throughout the marquee. Woven coconut matting will lead up to the marquee entrance from the concrete roadway adjacent.
The main festival site, where the food stalls are located, is in the Stade Coach and Lorry Park. Cobblestones make the site slightly uneven, so rubber mats will be laid on areas that have been identified as presenting the most difficulty. There are no steps on the site, except for a high kerb at the main entrance, where a ramp will be placed. In the Wine Tasting Marquee and English Wine Tent, carpet will be laid over the car park surface. This year the main site is larger and there will more room around the stalls to help prevent overcrowding and improve accessibility.
The Old Town
George Street is pedestrianised but the rest of the Old Town has narrow and uneven paving. The seafront has high kerbs but there are some pedestrian crossings with tactile paving.
Parking / Drop off point
A designated drop-off area for disabled persons (which will be signed) will be located at the Western end of the Stade Coach and Lorry Park, opposite the Tourist Information Centre.
Rock-a-Nore Car Park
Rock-a-Nore is a rough surface car park, located at the end of Rock-a-Nore Road on the beach at the Eastern end of Hastings seafront, in the Old Town. Disabled parking can be found in the area of the Motorboat and Yacht Club.
Number of disabled parking spaces – 14
Height restriction: 2.2 metres (7′ 2″)
Pelham Place Car Park
Located on the A259 on Hastings sea front between the Pier and the Old Town, opposite St Mary in the Castle.
Number of disabled parking spaces – 18
Height restriction: 2.2 metres (7′ 2″)
The Bourne Car Park
Located on the A259 in Hastings Old Town, next to the Stables Theatre, with pedestrian access from the car park into the High Street.
Number of disabled parking spaces – 2
Height restriction: 2.2 metres (7′ 2″)
Toilets
There are three public toilet blocks with disabled access on the seafront:
- Pelham Car Park – on the A259 on the seafront between the Pier and the Old Town, opposite St Mary in the Castle
- The Stade Coach Park – off the A259, the key can be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre which is next door
- Rock-a-Nore at the end of Rock-a-Nore Road on the beach at the Eastern end of Hastings seafront
Bingley Music Live 09
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
OK, so it’s not quite Glastonbury, but this weekend (4th – 6th September) the small town of Bingley, just outside Bradford, West Yorkshire, hosts it’s very own music festival (BML). The line up includes well known bands such as The Undertones, Doves, Editors and Calvin Harris as well as local bands that have competed for the right to play at BML.On the Essential Information page of the BML website they state:
“There is a viewing area for disabled people at the side of the event arena. Guide Dogs for the blind and/or deaf are the only animals allowed on the Festival site. Parking for disabled blue badge holders is available at Myrtle Park Primary School, Beech Street. (Follow signs) Please note: Disabled parking spaces are limited and are available on a first come first served basis.
We offer a free carer ticket to anyone who accompanies a wheelchair user or someone who cannot attend the festival without assistance. These tickets are only available from Bradford Theatres Box Office on 01274 436000.”
Information regarding getting to the event can also be found on the BML website and those requiring assistance on trains should remember to book in advance.
For information regarding accommodation providers with varying levels of facilities for people with disabilities please check the OpenBritain search facility.
I hope to see you all there, I know I will be….
Pestival
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
Southbank Centre 4th – 6th September 2009
Celebrating insects in art, and the art of being an insect.
Pestival is a rare creature: an international, inter-disciplinary, community-led festival. Events include insect-inspired comedy, music, ID walks, talks, workshops, experiments, fashion and a termite inspired architectural structure at the centre of Pestival 2009. 80% of creatures on earth are insects, the ‘pests’ without whom humans wouldn’t survive. Pestival celebrates the 100s of millions of years of evolution, which places insects at the heart of human existence. Pestival 2009 celebrates how insects shape our world, and how humans shape the world of insects, in both science and the arts.
Pestival is in its second edition and has been described as “a rare and wonderful celebration of the creepy crawly” (The Independent). Swarm on the entire Southbank Centre site, 4 – 6 September and put insects on the cultural map – before it’s too late.
‘If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.’ (E.O Wilson, the world-renowned biologist and thinker)
Pestival 2009 has been generously supported by the Wellcome Trust and is an Pestival event. For more information on Pestival, visit pestival.org
For further information please visit the Pestival information site at the Southbank Centre.
For information regarding facilities for people with disabilities at the Southbank Centre visit their site.
Caledonian Sleeper from Aviemore to London
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009After the Equal Adventue Festival 09 I had to get to London for the following day, there were really only two options; fly or a train. The problem with flying was that I would have to leave the festival early and then also pay for an overnight hotel in the capital, neither time nor budgets allowed for this so I looked into the Caledonian Sleeper Train provided by Scott Rail which would not only get me to London in time for my meeting but also give me a place to sleep on the Sunday night.
After looking through the access information on their website and decided to take the plunge…
I have to admit that I was very pleasently surprised by the Sleeper Train, the berth was farily spacious, the adapted WC and buffet car were right next door and the staff were friendly and helpful.
The wheelchair accessible berth
The adapted WC
The trip was much more comfortable than I expected, I slept really well, the conductor brought me breakfast in bed at 8.00am and I was in London Euston by 9.15am. It was the perfect way to travel from rural Scotland to the hussle and bussle on the big smoke and so very easy.
Just for fun, below is a short video clip of the Scottish countryside flying by the window of my berth on the Caledonian Sleeper, enjoy…
Equal Adventure Festival 2009
Monday, August 3rd, 2009Please note that the OpenBritain launch date is the 1st September 2009, please come and visit us again to see the full completed site. In the meantime, here’s some OpenBritain News!
Equal Adventue’s mission is to “To provide a wide range of support to providers – from consultation and research to strategy, implementation, mentoring and technical coaching – to enhance the opportunities to pursue adventure sport and active lifestyles available to people with diverse needs.”
The Equal Adventure website continues to state “For many, gaining meaningful access to sport and adventure opportunities is a greater challenge than the activity itself. Despite a commitment to equality, mainstream providers of outdoor activity, expeditions and sport are often forced into standard patterns of operation – often leading to exclusion. Gaining meaningful access requires taking measures that challenge technical, logistical and human barriers, building on simple good practice.
“For this reason and to help raise money for Motivation and 500 Miles, 2 charities that support the needs of people with disabilities in the developing world they decided to hold the Equal Adventure Festival 09. The event was held at Gelnmore Lodge just outside Aviemore, Scotland and spanned two days of outdoor activties to suit all tastes and abilities.
On the first night Jamie Andrew, a world renouned mountaineer, quadrouple amputee and a founding memeber of the 500 Miles charity gave an inspiring talk about his accident and recovery from it. His speach and experiences took us through a barrage of emotions and certainly set us up for a weekend of challanges with his main focus being about setting yourself goals in life, acheiving them and then moving onwards and upwards to the next. These goals do not have to be breaking world records but instead pushing your own personal limits from learning to undertake basic day to day tasks and then onto desirable personal aims.
10 teams of up to 4 people which were mixed of disabled and non-disabled people competed against each other undertaking tasks such as an endurance loop through the Cairngorns National Park, problem solving activities, orienteering and water based fun on Loch Morlich in adapted Canoes. My personal favourites were “Off the Beaten Track” a challenge to work as a team to navigate land, water and mud including crossing the river in two places. Sometimes the river crossings went well and at other times it was slightly more dubious!
Below a video of the Whacky Races on the Off The Beaten Track Challenge.
Another of the activities that I really enjoyed was the problem solving where as a team we had to create a rope square while blind folded and also try to build the tallest free standing lego tower. This wasn’t as easy as it sounds with a fairly strong breeze coming down through the valley, but of course our team managed to erect a tower of 5 foot 7 inches creating the record.
Another activity was to create eco-friendly head dresses from local plants and vegetation…
A great weekend was had by all and I for one cannot wait for the Equal Adventure Festival next year, which have been provisionally set for the 27th – 29th August 2010 (To be confirmed).
For more photos from the Festival please see Equal Adventure’s Picasso photo album.
Welcome to the OpenBritain Blog
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
Welcome to the OpenBritain Blog a new source of news and information relating to travel, tourism and daily living for all in the United Kingdom. For the first time, three of the countries leading charities for the disabled have teamed up in partnership with the AA to create Open Britain, with an all new definitive guide book and web site for people with disabilities and special access requirements.
With our partners above, we are currently developing this website alongside the new Open Britain Guide 2010. You will be able to:
- Search our comprehensive database of accommodation, days out and where to eat
- Review your favourite places, write your own travel blog, add photos and meet other travellers on our forums
- Use the MyOpenBritain trip planner to keep a list of your favourite hotels, B&Bs, self-catering, camping and caravan sites, tourist attractions and restaurants
- Find out not only where to go, but how to get there
As well as all this you will be able to keep up with what’s going on in the UK with weekley blog upadtes and also through following our Twitter feed.
We hope that you enjoy OpenBritain and remember to come back and visit us after our launch on the 1st September 2009.
