Attitude Is Everything commend Kendal Calling for deaf and disabled provision

Kendal Calling 2015

Thursday 30th July to Sunday 2nd August 2015
Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, Cumbria, CA10 2HN, England MAP
£135 for weekend - SOLD OUT

Daily capacity: 18,000

Last updated: Mon 6th Jul 2015

eFestivals doesn't usually mention awards, but this is a worthy one, Attitude is Everything, who work to improve the deaf and disabled people's access to live music, have awarded Kendal Calling a Silver Charter of Best Practice accolade to acknowledge the festival's improvement in services to deaf and disabled people.

The award comes after two years of working with Attitude is Everything to implement a range of access improvements, and a continual commitment on behalf of the festival to deliver exemplary customer service.

This year, for the first time, the event lowered bars across the site and used a shuttle service to and from the accessible campsite. The accessible campsite itself has seen a number of improvements over the past two years, now being in a location that is accessible as possible, with a host of facilities including provision for people to park alongside where they camp.

A festival goer who has attended the festival for a number of years reported a marked improvement since Kendal Calling and Attitude is Everything started to work in partnership, saying, "The staff on site were absolutely amazing. They informed us of all the facilities and offered a tour to show us were all the facilities where. They were assisting in putting up people’s tents, guiding people in to park, giving out information and providing pre-booked access accreditation in the information tent. They were patrolling the campsite, asking if people needed assistance."

Feedback questionnaires were handed out within the campsite, demonstrating the festival’s clear commitment to involving the opinions of customers in their year-on-year planning – a central tenant of Attitude is Everything’s Charter of Best Practice.

Investment in access and inclusive policies has resulted in a 57% increase in the number of disabled customers between 2013 and 2014 with numbers hoped to rise again for 2015. This reflects the customer loyalty that stems from a festival committing to engage with this topic, as described by the festival goer when they were asked whether they would go again, "Most definitely, this festival is trying to improve the access facilities and have made visible improvements from last year."

With this in mind, Attitude is Everything and Kendal Calling are now engaged in work to identify areas for further improvements and expansion in access provision ahead of the 2015 event, with a view to engaging with new deaf and disabled audiences alongside taking steps to continue to provide a fantastic service to existing loyal customers.

Suzanne Bull MBE, CEO of Attitude is Everything, said, "Congratulations to Kendal Calling and their partners Ground Control in achieving the Silver award of the Charter of Best Practice. The award is testament to their strong commitment to inclusion and accessibility, and we are excited to see where this ethos takes the festival in years to come. It is fantastic to see a festival valuing and investing in the experience of customers who may have access requirements, removing those barriers that might otherwise prevent people from attending what is one of the best music festivals in the UK today."

Andy Smith Director of Kendal Calling added, "We’re honoured to have been awarded the Silver Charter of Best Practise, from charity Attitude Is Everything. We’ve been working with Attitude Is Everything for the past two festivals, to improve accessibility and make sure everyone can have the best possible experience at the Deer Park! We’re looking forward to continuing to work with them in the future."

There are no acts confirmed yet for the wholly independent festival is held over the weekend of Thursday 30th July to Sunday 2nd August 2015 returning to the Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, in the Lake District.

Tier 2 tickets have sold out, and tier 3 tickets are not yet on sale.

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