Most inclusive and accessible Frome Children’s Festival yet!
Frome Children’s Festival is on its way! Purple Elephant organisers are revving up to Sunday the 21st August, with this year focussing on making the day as accessible as they possibly can. They have consulted with and worked with local youth groups and schools with additional needs, as well as taking advice from local families who have first-hand experience of living with a child with additional needs.
Event organisers said “We got the ball rolling at last year’s festival with Somerset Parent Carers Forum. Eight young people, all with additional needs, came along to the festival and wrote a report, which we have used to guide our approach to this year’s event.”
Open Storytellers are making an exciting new performance for the festival and artist, Robin Meader, has worked alongside Charlotte Woodall, Social Enterprise Manager, and Critchill School students to design awesome T-shirts for the volunteers and young trainees to wear at this year’s event.
Pod and Pod plus, a local charity working with young people with additional needs will be running a jewellery-making stall using recycled materials and scrap and this year’s festival will have more accessible activities such as clay modelling for the visually impaired, a zip wire accessible to people in wheelchairs, Widgit communication symbols, clearer signage, BSL interpreters and family support workers, boccia and seated volleyball.
Running from the Cheese and Grain, along the length of the river bank and woods, into the whole of Welshmill Park and the Roundhouse, there will once again be priority wrist bands for young people with additional needs and a ‘Changing Places’ accessible toilet in the Market Yard carpark. All the activity providers will also be given guidelines on best practice in working with young people with additional needs.
The Frome Children’s Festival takes place from 10am-4pm 21st August, thanks to funding from Frome Town Council, the National Lottery Community Fund and the generosity of volunteers on the day.
The event is free but text donations are most welcome to keep Purple Elephant’s events happening all year round. See www.purpleelephant.org.uk or email info@purpleelephant.org.uk for more information.
If you would like to volunteer to help at the Frome Children’s Festival, the organisers would love to hear from adults with 3 or 4 hours to spare on 21st August. If you have worked at community events before or have a current DBS check please do get in touch to offer some help to the team.
