• WOW Awards Part 1: are for festival food
• WOW Awards Part 2: are for music and everything else.

The WOW Awards 2011 Part 1: Food

Winner of the 2011 Best Festival Cafe award is…

The Home-grown Hangout cafe (Sunrise and Secret Garden Party).

One of their aims is to bring food fresh from their allotments to the festivals. My favourite festival café. The most friendly welcome. The best breakfast: a good variety of dishes with excellent veggie sausages and a very flexible range of choices. The most easy-going (for example a guy took up large cushion for several hours sleeping without anyone disturbing him, just working round him). A place for interesting conversations. Indeed, in my opinion, the best way to spend the morning at any festival. The cafe also won my disabled friendly award. One of the team always offered to help me, and there was also a good variety of seating to suit all needs. Congratulations to Niklas and his wonderful team, who really understand what makes a great café. I hope to see them at all the festivals I go to next year.

Best ‘Full Board’ award (i.e. a range of food at different times of the day)

Winner: Buddhafield café (Glastonbury, Green Gathering, OffGrid)

They served a tasty full veggie breakfast and a good range of options at all times of the day. Special mention must go to their hearty lentil soup and the walnut lasagne which I crossed a whole festival site for.

Best Sunday (veggie) Roast award

Winner: Chai Shop Organic at Croissant Neuf Summer Party (so good I tried to eat two!)

Runner-up: Queen Delilah’s (Glastonbury)

Runner-up: Buddhafield café at Glastonbury, Green Gathering, Off Grid.

Best Healthy Smoothie award

Winner: the Raw Food Cafe at Sunrise Off Grid. Also impressive was Pete’s great enthusiasm about the food, encouraging people to taste it and try small samples.

Best Afternoon Tea award

Winner: Kate’s Kitchen (at Sunrise). Delicious cakes and perfectly brewed tea and coffee served on beautiful crockery by a delightful team.

Runner Up: Tea dance refreshments at Croissant Neuf

Best Cheese on Toast award

(There was a period in my festival summer when all I wanted to eat was cheese on toast: hence this award)

Winner: Weirdigans at Green Gathering, a delightful café, which I’d somehow missed at previous festivals, and which also provided me with the most interesting encounters and conversation.

Runner-up: Tea And Toast stall at Secret Garden Party, perfectly positioned, friendly and helpful. Tables and chairs made this a disabled-friendly spot too.

Best “Champagne” Cocktail award

Winner: Baby Sam’s cocktail bar at Croissant Neuf. Tasty and zingy drink, and a table with flowers to sit at to sip at.

Best Crêpe award

Winner: The Forestiere (mushrooms in a cream and tarragon sauce with extra mature cheddar) from ‘Crepe, Monsieur?’ at Green Peaks Festival, which also won the Best Banter between Staff award.

Best Salad Platter award

Winner: Leon’s at Glastonbury. Love the food, hate the location. Solution: I take a sealable plastic food box, tip the salad in and eat it where I like. Or I use his vegetarian recipe books.

Best Cafe Music award

Winner: Buddhafield café The team have an eclectic set of playlists to share.

Special Award:
The stylish and quirky Kill Or Cure area, run by the delightful witches. A warm welcome, a pot of tea or perhaps a glass of sloe gin, an in-depth health consultation, and the chance to buy one of their marvellous potions and ointments. Or you might catch a story or a fascinating workshop. This year I enjoyed their generous hospitality at Glastonbury, Croissant Neuf, and Sunrise Off Grid.

Special Award:
Fayre’s Fair at Glastonbury for their immediate and effective response to my arrival, near to fainting, after a long and difficult trek across the site through the gloomy mud. They sat me down and brought me breakfast. Many thanks. The café is run by volunteers in aid of the Ringwood Waldorf School.

Special Award for the most generous and versatile use of a beautifully decorated space:
Creative Intentions cafe at Green Peaks Festival. It generously hosted a speakers forum, open mic sessions, a stall in aid of the Pegasus Childrens Trust and a fire circle. Thanks to Paula Kershaw and the rest of the team.

Special Insomniac Award:
The 24 hour curry stall at Green Gathering. It was such a great comfort knowing that I was only ever 5 minutes away from a plate of dahl…

The WOW Awards 2011 – Part 2

Best Performance Music Award:

Only Joe at Chai Wallahs, Secret Garden Party.
This 9 piece Reggae band range from “deep bass driven Steppas to up-beat Roots Reggae and classic Ska Riddims” (they say). “A positive message together with a non-stop, music-to-move-you mission” for sure; just the opening notes of ‘The Big Sound’ and ‘Live As One’ would be enough to draw me across a festival site. This time, though, I was ready half an hour early, and stayed right at the front for the whole set. A top festival moment was when Zico, the talented vocalist, remembered me from last year (we’d chatted over late night chips) and gave me a hug.

Special Award to:

Seize The Day
Not just for their consistently brilliant live performances; not just for their consistently radical politics; not just for songs which rouse and inspire us; for all these as well as for ‘walking the walk’ and firing us up for positive change. My “summer wouldn’t be complete without seeing them live” band.

Best Performance Award:

Drama‘La Boîte Noire’ by Bootworks Theatre at Glastonbury.
A 40’s film noir influenced performance by 4 characters, each in a ‘Red Box’ Stunning. Gripping, even outdoors in the middle of a muddy field!

Best Performance Award:

Multi-sensory kinetic theatre. Electric Spectacle by 85A collective at Secret Garden Party. Into a strange haunting space where musical automata perform their weird opera.

Best interactive comedy Award:

The Horse Box at Glastonbury.
A small group of punters are invited into – yes – a horse box where they meet an aristocrat and her ‘assistant’….

Best Performance at Spirit of ’71 stage Award (Glastonbury):

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
I’d thought he was a one-hit wonder, even at the time, but his set was a revelation. The energy; the stamina; the costumes; the dancing; the flirting; the strong voice: impressive in a performer of any age, but a man in his 70th year? Wow! There was a wide range of great songs; we were looking forward to ‘Fire’ and we were not disappointed. A great showman; a great show. Edgar Broughton: sounding better than ever

Best group singing Award:

Bhajans with Pete and Pam at Rainbow Superspirit.
A deeply heart-opening experience.

One Perfect Number Awards:

• Lamb: ‘Wise Enough’ (Sunrise)
• Pat Orchard: ‘The Singing Grass’ (Glastonbury)
• Lost Padres: ‘Your Love is Taking Me Higher’ Acoustic Space, Healing Field, Glastonbury.
  A young woman was sitting at the piano on one corner of the Healing Field at Glastonbury on Sunday evening. We asked her if she’d play something for us, and she sang a beautiful song which really moved us. She said she was still in the process of composing it, but it seemed perfect to us… (If she reads this, do get in touch; we’d love to hear the song again)

“Gotta Dance!” awards:

Best Small Stages Award:

Sangers at Off Grid.
Built at the roadside and horse-drawn, this stage was great to visit at any time, but came into its own late at night. The MC gave a powerful political speech at the opening, and combined this passion with aggressive rants and never-ending jokes. The music, starting with David Sanger himself, was always entertaining, sometimes brilliant.

The Acoustic Music Space Award at Glastonbury:

A mixture of workshops and performances, the atmosphere relaxed and full of harmony. Highspots this year included a gong meditation by Stefan Cartright and dancing to Lost Padres.

The Impulse Buy I’m So Glad I Bought award:

Tom McNair’s Criminal Justice CD, which I bought, completely on impulse, at the market at Rainbow 2000 Superspirit camp. I’d never heard him play, but the young person who sold it to me assured me: “My dad’s really good.” How true! My favourite track? ‘I’m Coming Home’.

Most thought-provoking, inspiring speakers Awards:

• Theo Simon: The Heart of Activism (Sunrise) & The Luddites (Off Grid).
• Brigit Strawbridge: The Importance of Bees, at Glastonbury
• Gregory Sams: ‘Universal Consciousness’, at Secret Garden Party (new book: ‘Sun of gOd’ “The Sun is smarter than we think”.
• Mike Grenville: Transition is Now – but How? (Sunrise, Green Gathering, Off Grid)
• Rob Hopkins: The Transition Movement (Off Grid)
• Tim (Mac) McCartney: The Children’s Fire (Off Grid)
• Nicola Peel on her work on the Amazon (Off Grid)
• Charlie Veitch: a 12 minute talk at the Stiglitz Sessions, Secret Garden Party
• Chris Church: 40 years of green campaigning at Green Gathering
• Nick Jukes (International Campaign for Humane Education):Towards Deep Sustainability; workshop at Green Gathering

Best Panel Discussions Award:

• The Green Festival Movement: at Green Gathering.
• Smallholdings: at Off Grid.
• Resilience: at Off Grid.

Best Installations Award:

Sonic Forest at Glastonbury.
In a sea of mud we co-create a beautiful soundscape.

Most Helpful Stewards Award:

• Fiona Ingrams, in charge of caravan parking at Glastonbury. Thanks for being both understanding and boldly decisive.

• Chris at Croissant Neuf, who somehow guessed that it was me at the gate, and crossed the whole site to help me.
• Clive at Off Grid, who found me a great pitch, and organised a band of helpers to get me through the mud

Least Helpful Festival Worker Award:

It was pouring with rain as Arthur Brown started his set at ‘Spirit of ’71 stage at Glastonbury. But good news: after buying a coffee I could take it to the adjoining tent which had tables and chairs (and about 20 other people), and with sections rolled up as they were, a perfect view of the show. Imagine my distress when a guy started rolling the canvas down, because the marquee was closed due to no performance going on in there. Simple humanity might have made an exception, but no, he was just obeying orders and I had to stand shivering in the rain.

Best Outdoor Workshop Award:

Laser Star Tour by Dave Molz at Sunrise.
I learnt more than ever before because the pointer actually seemed to touch the star.

Cosiest Venues on a cold wet night:

Small World café and stage (Glastonbury,Secret Garden Party, Green Gathering).

WOW – thank you Marion!

The other thing we started doing this year was producing “feedback forms” for all the visitors to the GAMA areas – so we have had loads of lovely feedback, people saying what we are doing is great, and also showing us what still needs improving. We are committed to continue upping the standards and expectations for those that need our service.

In 2011 GAMA has been directly involved with: Sunrise Celebration, The Glade, Alchemy, Secret Garden Party, Green Gathering, Boomtown, and Out of The Ordinary festival. We are also spreading the word – GAMA is getting known as the place to come for friendly and helpful festival advice on accessibility.

Sunrise Festival: 2nd – 5th June

GAMA was a great success at this year’s Sunrise – we had over 120 people camped within the area, and more around the site, all able to use and benefit from the support and facilities that we provided. We plan to carry on working with Sunrise as they expand into the future, and for us to continue to make disability awareness and support an integral part of the whole festival. A great festival to be involved with – Thank you Sunrise!

Green Gathering: 27 – 31st July

Green Gathering was like a re-union of the Big Green Gathering. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and old acquaintances were met and new friendships were forged. There were relatively few people on site, making it seem sparse and sometimes fairly quiet.

The site itself was a very difficult site to manage, lots of hills, a long thin trackway and a difficult entrance/exit. There was no night lighting making it difficult for anyone to get around, and the ground was uneven and pot holed.

GAMA would need to consider the practicality of working with this site again… We would need a lot more interaction before the event. We had a signer who was greatly appreciated. The feedback from what the GAMA field users provided was excellent.

Boomtown: 11 – 14th August

Boomtown is a relatively new festival that is making waves in the festival scene. It is high energy, high input, has a great atmosphere, and brilliant artwork. It has a very original “core identity” that is unified around the whole site. The organisers had worked really hard to produce such a good events arena. And there were great bands, quirky entertainments, food, and shops. For the first time there was a children’s area, and family camping area. The organisers want to open the festival out for everyone to enjoy. The other side of this extreme is that it also has some real problems that need sorting – there was a lot of thieving, and a lot of medical incidences. The organisers want to “get it right” and are keen to work with organisations such as GAMA to increase participation, to bring in skilled festival crew, and to enhance the facilities available on site.

The site itself was contained in a natural “bowl” that has various slopes and hills within it. However, the central entertainments core was on the flat part in the middle.

This year, 2011, GAMA was brought in just a few weeks before the festival. Next year the organisers have promised that we will be brought in earlier, and can thus have a much greater input into the planning and set up. I think we are really looking forward to working with Boomtown again in the future.

WINTER PROJECTS

We have started on these projects for the winter:

1. GAMA is talking with “Festival Awards” to incorporate access and exclusivity guidelines for UK Festivals. This will mean that in the future festivals are more likely to win Awards if they can show that they have been taking on access issues.
2. GAMA is working with the website “Festivals for All” to publicise those festivals that are providing good access facilities.
3. GAMA is working with signers to provide BSL interpretation and loop systems for venues and forum discussion areas at events.
4. GAMA is supporting a questionnaire by Able2uk that will enable us to get a good overview of what people would like in their festival provision.
5. GAMA hopes to work on the concept of forming “national standards” of access in inclusivity that UK festivals and outdoor events should be providing. We are hoping for some funding for this work (we don’t know where from yet), but it would be great to get this started.
6. Finally, we hope to organise some small conference/meeting/social for all the organisers of GAMA/Access areas at festivals, to all get together, and discuss any problems and all the solutions we can think of.

To find out more information about any of Gama’s work, or if you would like to contribute to it, do contact us via the links in the Contact Us page.

If you would like to send us any stories, photos or funny or frustrating moments from your summer festivals, please do send them in to us, again by the Contact Us page.

Thank you all, for supporting us in our work

Yours,
Jos, Seagh, Mike, Penny, Jo and Degs, Emma and Marcus and everyone else who works with us, or who enjoys coming to our areas.

Brighton Gay Pride 2010

Brighton Pride this year made serious efforts to improve access for disabled people to both the parade and the event in Preston Park which was attended by an estimated 160,000 people.

The Pride organisation worked with the Brighton Federation of Disabled People to
plan facilities. The website stated:

• Park and Ride close to the park
• An area reserved for those with mobility issues on the parade route
• A shuttle service to the viewing area/access tent from the car park
• The very important access tent operated by Brighton & Hove Federation of Disabled People.
• Our fantastic signers
• Accessible toilets

Buggy Rider at Brighton Gay Pride 2010

The parade and the party in the park were bigger and better than ever. Several people joined the parade in decorated wheelchairs and electric buggies. Some may say that Preston Park is now too small for an event of this magnificence and magnitude. However it was wonderful to see so many thousands of happy smiling people have such a good time. Indeed, it was so crowded in many places that any movement was very difficult indeed. The huge crowds also made finding the accessible toilets very difficult. The permanent public lavatories in Preston Park were closed for Pride including one which has a RADAR lock.

Access Area

The biggest blessing in facilities for people with disabilities was the “Access Tent” provided by the Brighton Federation of Disabled People. This was a real oasis of peace and tranquillity in what at times could be a little too much.

Brighton Pride 2010 Access Area

It was a real chill out space offering shelter from the weather and head space, and I was instantly offered a cup of tea when I came into the tent. It was a warm welcoming and secure area. There was also a nice enclosed outer space with tables to watch the world go by. It was wonderful and was appreciated by many.

One quite serious criticism about the space, which I am sure will be rectified next year, was the shortage of accessible toilets in the “Access Tent” compound. There was also a lack of changing facilities, and arrangements for disposal of clinical waste. There was only one temporary wide access toilet in the Access Area. There were some seats for people waiting. This was very quickly full, as there was little or no effective stewarding. At one stage eleven ambulant people were queuing to use it and two people in wheel chairs at the back of the queue waited for a long time to use what was by then a pretty awful facility. Because there was no waste bin people put clinical waste down the toilet so by four o’clock it was unpleasantly full.

Brighton Pride 2010 Access Area Interior

When the stewards were asked abut this, they indicated that there was nothing that they could do to prevent this, which is ludicrous. Given the willingness that there has been this year to make the situation a million times more enjoyable this year, I am am sure that they will rectify this and anything else that people point out to them. There should have been at least two wide access toilets as well as one for carers and and one for people needing clean facilities for medical rather than mobility needs. There should also have been handwashing facilities or gel and wipes- and maybe the GAMA toilet fairies!

In the Women’s Marquee a BSL signer was interpreting for a singer, her expresiveness enhancing the experience for everyone.

If you were at Pride or wish to review / comment on disabled persons facilities at any other outdoor event, then please free to do so on the GAMA Website. After all its ours and we should use it !!!

Thank you and a happy Pride !!!

Miki Hall

If you want information about accessible venues in Brighton please check out the Brighton and Hove Federation of Disabled People‘s Accessible City Guide

Nicola at Sunrise Festival 2010

I used to love camping and going to outdoor festivals but since getting ill with CFS/ME, stopping work and feeling physically and mentally shaky, I sort of gave up on the idea. But how I missed it and felt left out!

Recently, however, I moved to a new flat, and I started to feel that perhaps other good things were possible. I said to a friend who’s a regular festival-goer  ‘I wish you could take me with you sometime’. And straightaway she said  ‘Come to Sunrise! It’s quite small, got a lovely atmosphere – and I’ll do the driving!’.  I was unsure but then I checked the festival website. Music, yoga, organic food, wood-carving, dancing…  and then I saw that organisers had set aside a section of the site for disabled people and were offering free places for carers and help with shifting gear.  I suddenly felt inspired and confident. I said ‘YES let’s do it.’

GAMA Area at Sunrise Festival 2010

Nicola Field

This article was originally written by Nicola Field for her local ME support group – many thanks to Nicola for letting us reproduce it here!

OOTO is 3 day eco & family friendly festival set in the beautiful Sussex countryside celebrating the Autumn Equinox. Solar powered stages and wind generators power fascinating talks and workshops plus children’s activities and a green market place plus many more out of the ordinary surprises!
www.outoftheordinaryfestival.com

GAMA Sign - OOTO, 2009

We had a crew of eight GAMA volunteers to set up and run the GAMA camping area. Jo and Degs went to the site on Wednesday to check and mark out the GAMA area.

In spite of the lack of publicity we had about 30 guests including friends, partner and carers of people with disabilities. Our guests had 3 campervans, 11 tents and a caravan. Several have camped with us at other events. They included a band playing at the festival, a cafe owner and a woman running creative workshops for all ages. We also offered our facilities to guests and crew camping elsewhere.

One person arrived in a campervan at 11.30 pm on Friday. As it was not safe to drive across the festival site in the dark he was accommodated elsewhere. We could have made room for him on Saturday if necessary. OOTO arranged for him to charge his wheelchair close to where he was parked.

Camping Area

We had just enough space for all our guests and crew. OOTO provided a 20ft square white marquee as a shelter and information point furnished with tables and chairs. As the weather was fine all weekend we used the green space outside for meals and for children to play. We did not have electricity but it would have been available if needed. Two guests brought flowers made of foam to decorate the marquee and tea light lanterns for inside and outside the marquee.

Sink & Water Taps

A sink and separate stand pipe were nearby.

The wide access toilet remained usable all weekend (although it was not emptied), thanks to our notices and lookouts and the well-constructed compost loos nearby. One of the compost toilets had a child seat but it was as high as the others and not signposted or easy to find. Festivals need to provide lower seats and wider cubicles for young children. As usual the crew kids played happily together and with guests. This was particularly appreciated by the mothers of two boys with types of autism.

Disabled Access Toilet

We had a radio to link us to OOTO organisers, site manager and security. We had no security or anti-social behaviour problems. There was a lot of mutual help and we had time to talk. Two of our guests as well as Unity And Devision sang in the Lost Horizon open mike session on Sunday evening. We welcomed Lorraine who had come to OOTO with her two children and two friends to run creative activities for all ages using poetry, story-telling, music and puppets. She set up a gazebo as a workshop space and ran a session on Saturday afternoon. The circus area was nearby.

The GAMA Gazebo

We had to be careful that none of the children accidentally or deliberately strayed into the marked off area next to the marquee where equipment and fuel for the fire show was stored. We would have preferred a more secure fence. We were not far from the centre of the festival but the circus area and cabaret tent were between GAMA and the peace circle. In future we would like to be on on of the radial routes directly to the centre. Distances which seem trivial to most people are difficult and even painful for people with physical disabilities. We were very pleased to be close to the warm showers, cafe, live music and sauna provided by Lost Horizon. We were also close to the cabaret and negotiated a short cut through their bar one evening. Jerry, who has worked for GAMA at other festivals, provided an audio description of an escapology act in the cabaret tent for a guest temporarily unable to see.

Trailer Trashed Wagon - Easily Accessible Counter

On Monday some people had to leave early but many stayed to enjoy the sunshine and share food and talk. Lost Horizon asked us for advice about making their showers more accessible. We will send them some ideas for future events.

Steve's Cantina - Good Accessibility

We provided guidance to stalls at short notice. Access varies but there were some good examples, including seats in Steve’s Cantina  and the low counter on the Trailer Trashed wagon.

Recommendations

Table & Chairs for GAMA campers

We need a system for reserving essential vehicle spaces so that we have enough frontage on to fire lanes for all to be parked side by side. We also need enough internal space for a communal green for safe play and for people to meet, and clear paths for all to access the marquee and toilet[s]. OOTO showed how a small festivals can provide accessible camping and we would like more to make the effort. We are grateful for the support of the organisers and site crew.

Here’s to OOTO 2010!

Sculpture at Sunrise 2009

Sunrise Celebration 2009 was a smaller event on a new site on an organic farm. As we would be close to the main arena we hoped our visitors would feel fully part of the event and spend most of their time out of the GAMA field

GAMA Camping, Sunrise 2009

When some of us arrived on Bank Holiday Monday we found the GAMA camp was on the highest point of a hill with magnificent views in all directions as far as Exmoor. We were between the campervan field and general camping. It was reassuring to be next to the medical centre. Plumbers were already installing water pipes and we had a tap but no sink or drainage. The compost loos had been built in the campervan and tent camping fields. The rest of the crew and their children arrived on Tuesday. We planned to set everything up on Wednesday but force 6 winds and rain made it too dangerous to put up the marquee as a base for all our activities

Fire Performance at Sunrise '09

Thursday was the first day of sunshine. The wide access toilets and electricity arrived. We put up the marquee and collected three tables, one for refreshments, one for information and one for children to play in the shade. We also had ten chairs. Unfortunately, because of confusion arising from changes to the map, the ramped shower and its soak away drainage were put in the medical area with a lot of obstacles blocking access. Other showers, without ramps, were at the bottom of the hill . There were no other wide access toilets at Sunrise. As the compost toilets had several steps it was difficult for many of our visitors to go to events at the far end of the arena

Disable access toilets

More and more visitors arrived – far more than Sunrise had led us to expect. People fitted in at the end of the GAMA area or across the path in general camping, but still used our facilities. Three people working in the arena camped with us because of the needs of themselves or their children. We also welcomed day visitors at the weekend. Daylight was adequate until 9.30pm. The campsite had two strings of light on poles along fire lanes which were on all night. We used fencing and a banner to direct passers-by away from the wide access cubicles to the compost toilets and introduced a wristband system.

Lighting by the camping area

We found we had not been listed for a radio and had to send out one of our crew for communication with the production office, gate and the safety manager. This meant that we had no way of knowing when visitors arriving at the gate on foot needed assistance. The gate crew provided GAMA visitors in vehicles with our logo postcards so that they could drive up and be helped by our crew. In emergencies we could ask the medical centre to use their radio. We had a tap in the GAMA area without a sink or drainage. The water pressure was unreliable but Sunrise provided emergency supplies of bottled water

Although we had permission for a fire we decided against it for several reasons

• There was a ban on fires in the camping area so our fire would have made it harder to enforce
• We would have had to supervise the fire all night
• There were young children and people with breathing difficulties in the GAMA camp
• There were benches around the ceremonial fire in the arena so people could go
• There the water supply was unreliable
• There was only a small open space in the GAMA camp
• Mown long dry grass was on the ground, easily ignited by a spark.

Water Point without drainage = Mud!

There were barrels of water at fire points in the camping and campervan fields.Our crew catering van had extinguishers.There was a general lack of signs and information.The programme has a lot of text printed over graphics. We needed a large print plain text version.The camping area had its own steward crew. Litter pickers covered the whole site and there were recycling bins.Gate crew and stewards were very helpful in identifying and guiding visitors needing GAMA facilities and leaving on Monday. There was a tap attached to the fence along the main path to the arena. As the sink disappeared & there was no drainage, the path quickly became muddy and slippery in spite of the hot weather. We reported this hazard.

Accessibility

Low Seating, not accessible

Many cafes only had low seating. Much more work needs to be done to spell out the responsibility of traders and exhibitors to make “reasonable adjustments” by providing a few chairs with arms, clear pathways and easy to read menus. We lent five chairs to the nearest music venue, Triban, on Sunday so that more of our visitors could go there. Two of our crew visited music venues offering signs to inform visitors that strobes may be used. None planned to use strobe lights

The most accessible seating

The festival arena was beautiful. The centre was used for non-commercial ceremonial and chill-out spaces including a garden, pyramid with chimes and fire temple. There were carved benches in the temple. There were plenty of activities for children of all ages including an outdoor circus skills day. The GAMA crew kids made friends with visitors and on Saturday evening dressed up in 3000BC/3000AD styles. They also enjoyed shows such as the fire juggling. As there was no metal tracking the paths to and around the Arena would have become very difficult for people with wheelchairs or buggies if the weather had not been so good. We hope this would be provided at a larger event. One of the best cafes for seating.

Sunrise underestimated the number of people likely to be camping in the GAMA field – they didn’t allow for the number of people who booked for 2008, and exchanged their tickets. As facilities at Big Chill were inadequate many people with disabilities and their friends waited until Sunrise 2009. We had at least 50 tents, vans and caravans in the GAMA area. Some larger groups were on the other side of the track in the camping field and campervan area with access to our facilities. We asked for GAMA facilities to be available from Monday 25 May for crew with disabilities, including our co-ordinator, and the families of people working at Sunrise. GAMA camping We had an experienced crew of nine: two at a time on duty from 8.30-10.30 and one from 10.30pm to midnight.

Our co-ordinator, Miki, ran an information line for phone and email enquiries, particularly important for people who are anxious about coming to a festival for the first time. We have a core of GAMA regular visitors and at each festival, we publicise our website and events where we will be running campsites in the future.

The mist hanging over the Sunrise 2009 site

GAMA Sign

Well it didn’t start well, with the site closed due to rain, mud and flood, when we were meant to be setting up. We stayed with family close by and decided to attempt to get onto site on the Tuesday.

Tuesday morning..

GAMA Camp at Sunrise 2008

..looked slightly more promising and the sun was out! We arrived to tractors towing people on site, (not a good sign!) but our bit of field didn’t look too bad and being next to the hard standing helped. We worked out how we were going to set up the field and settled into our stay waiting for the marquee, loos etc to arrive, with the weather being so bad everything was running a day or so late. We didn’t really leave our area other than to get our crew food, in a marquee which had been flooded out once already! Tuesday was the only day we could put our baby on the ground.

Wednesday/ Thursday

Mud, mud and more mud!

It rained a lot and the ground got really bad. We worked out that we could only put tents in 2 areas and that the vehicles would have to be parked in the muddiest bits (soon to become a bog!) and pulled out on the Monday!! The marquee was erected over a few inches of water (not a great emergency shelter) and the loos were getting very boggy, we were really starting to worry for the safety of people coming to our field. Then I looked at the rest of the site. Oh my… a flood with small boggy patches and the ground totally churned up by the tractors so the ruts were hidden under the water one minute, up to your ankles and then over the top of your wellies. It appeared to us that for most of our punters that even if they got on to our field they weren’t going to be able to leave their vehicles. By this time our crew food was under a foot of water and very dangerous to get to and some people were starting to worry about the river overflowing. We tried to keep our spirits up as much as we could, but the rain kept coming.

Friday

GAMA Camp, Sunrise Festival, 2008

On the Friday morning (which was sunny) we headed out to the track to inform GAMA visitors of the site situation. This was a awful job appreciated by most but the full extent of the bog was not really understood until seen by those that had arrived early and wanted to carry on because deep down we are all hardened festival goers and we don’t want a bit of water ruining our fun!

Saturday

Children Playing at GAMA camp, 2008

Finally the festival was closed and we had the slow job of getting the few people on the field off after just one night. Saturday morning most of the crew woke with tents finally flooded (how they lasted that long is a miracle) The tractors came and pulled out the cars and trucks and some skilful driving and pushing got the rest out! Everyone just “mucked in” and enjoyed what they could as we tatted down. We left the site with a fountain of muddy water and hopefully some big lesson learned.

Love and Hugs Jo and Oska (age 18 months.) xxx

The aims of the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 are simple. The goal is “a society where all disabled people can participate fully as equal citizens”. In practical terms, the Act seeks to ensure that disabled people are treated no less favourably than anyone else.

Disabled provision at festivals has been non-existent or sparse at best. But mindsets are changing, encouraged by further laws to ensure that service providers – event organisers – in every business make “reasonable adjustments” to help disabled people to attend and enjoy events.

Access is the key issue – Organisers must be able to show they have given the subject due consideration. The definition of “reasonable physical adjustments” will be decided over time by case law through challenges by disabled people.

The way forward is to think inclusively from the initial planning stages of the event. Thus, both access and inclusion are at the core of the process, not a “bolt on” later.

For example, in pre-event planning, with a little consideration and no extra cost, websites can easily help visually impaired people by offering large text and clear fonts. Large print programmes and local “talking newspapers” can help too (The royal Nation al Institute for the Blind has helpful web access centre at www.rnib.org.uk .

Give clear information about disabled facilities, accessible transport and parking. A map/information sheet sent out with tickets, a dedicated phone line for enquiries from disabled people. It is good practise to allow disabled persons’ support workers free or reduced price tickets.

Event Planning

Organisers need to assess these areas when considering their “reasonable adjustments”:
Steps, stairways, kerbs, exterior surfaces, paving, parking, building or marquee entrances and exits, pathways, gates. An overview of the actual layout of the land is important too. Which physical features – steep slopes, slippery paths – need particular consideration? The law gives a choice – remove the physical feature, alter it, find a way round it, or provide the service another way. Often it is enough to offer an alternative route, or simply to mow long grass to help wheelchair users.

Other checklist items include – walkway lighting, accessible electric wheelchair charging, easily readable signs, plentiful wide access lavatories and ramped access showers, viewing platforms at stages and in marquees, and accessible public facilities such as telephones and stall counters. On campsites, stewards can ensure that guy ropes do not affect paths. Elsewhere, provision for designated disabled seating or benches is very useful to.

It is good practice to do an “access audit” at the earliest stages of planning. An Access Audit should include policies and practices as well as commenting upon physical features. The aim is to identify the changes needed. As described above, these can be simple, cheap and effective.

Training is crucial. For example, at most festivals food is self service. This is often tough on those with visual or mobility impairments. Ensuring that trained staff/volunteers are available to assist disabled people is an easy solution. Having used an Assess Audit to identify problems, and decided upon the changes needed, it is essential that staff have disability awareness training in how to meet the needs of disabled festival goers.

This is a small festival held in mid-September which describes itself as follows:

“When you step into the Out of the Ordinary Festival you are stepping into another dimension – a place of ancient knowledge, healing, inspiration and love….a combination of healing events and ceremonies, amazing workshops & talks, live music, healthy food and drink and an incredible vibe, all set in the beautiful fields and woodland of the Sussex Downs. Be part of history and join us in celebrating the autumn equinox full moon as it rises over the peace circle. OOTO is about healing, education and entertainment. OOTO is a family and community event.”

The site is a fairly level mown wild flower meadow at the top of a hill surrounded by trees. There are some brambles and clumps of rushes. All camping, events and attractions are very close together.

The heart of the festival is a ceremonial circle around a fire. There are other circles near and beyond the healing area. All the circles, stalls and cafes are imaginatively decorated using a lot of natural and recycled materials. There are two stages in marquees, a marquee for talks and a children’s area.

The GAMA (Green Access &Mobility Area) is at one end of the field. We have a small marquee, three wide access toilets, a shower, a sink and piped water. There was a compost toilet nearby for people able to manage steps.

We had parking for campervans as a well as room for tents. The twelve GAMA crew camped with our visitors.

GAMA services at OOTO:

• Marking the area with signs posts and fencing.
• Checking that fire lanes were kept clear.
• Creating and marking a clear route from GAMA to the rest of the festival.
• Making sure the wide access toilets were not used by people who did not need them
• Helping a visitor to set up a large tent for friends who were camping nearby
• Making a walking stick from the branch of a tree.
• Filling the water tank of a campervan.
• Putting up an awning.
• Marking guy ropes which could have been a trip hazard.
• Removing brambles from the grass near a campervan
• Changing a gas bottle.
• Reporting a lost bag to security (this was found by the visitor).
• Helping to run the crew café.
• Helping a stall holder who has recurrent back pain to pack up.
• Building tables for visitors to prepare meals in the marquee at a comfortable safe height rather than on the ground

The OOTO organisers managed to provide nearly all the infrastructure we asked for. We look forward to working with them again.

Suggestions for OOTO and similar festivals

• If mains electricity is not available, GAMA needs a relatively quiet generator for charging wheelchairs, providing hot drinks and warm water and pumping for showers. Small wind and solar systems are not adequate for this because we need to ensure 100% reliability, but can be used with a generator for backup.
• Drainage for sinks is essential to keep the area around taps dry.
• We suggest all visitors are encouraged to bring solar lights and wind-up torches to light paths and hazards.
• Toilets, rubbish and recycling facilities need to be set up in time for crew arriving to set up.
• Chairs are needed in performance venues, cafes, workshops and open spaces for people who cannot stand for long.
• On the website, and in a leaflet sent out with tickets, should give full information for visitors with disabilities.

The Big Green Gathering itself; and a grant from Awards for All towards our facilities, access and events. We used this money to improve opportunities for people with disabilities and special needs to come and camp in the GAMA field and enjoy all that the BGG has to offer – environmental education, green discussions and forums, socially aware artists and performers, and our own team of accredited healers. This year the grant enabled us to not only focus on support within the GAMA field, but also to extend to a site-wide remit of provision and support.

What did we provide?

GAMA crew:

All our crew are volunteers. We camped in the GAMA field so could offer a lot of informal support to welcome visitors and run the coffee bar, children’s activities and entertainments.

Signs and maps:

Members of a Bristol youth group made signs and a tactile map for the GAMA field. They visited us to see them in use and to enjoy the BGG. EDAS Designs, which organises paid work for people with learning disabilities, made laminated A4 maps and signs.

Programme:

The designer of the BGG programme made sure that the layout and lettering was as clear as possible. Two A3 large print copies were made, one for us and one for the Information Tent. We were also gaven laminated large print copies of the daily programme. Green Radio persuaded most of the co-ordinators to record their sessions on the programme on CD.

Helpline for individuals:

Our co-ordinator ran a telephone helpline for people considering coming to the Big Green Gathering. He made advance arrangements for oxygen delivery and storage and arranged early arrival for four people with visual impairments to give them time for orientation before other visitors arrived.

Site-wide access:

We briefed all the area co-ordinators and directors and sent out our own leaflets on access to many of the cafes, stalls and campaigns.

Croissant Neuf:

The Croissant Neuf Team created a wonderful “Royal Box” viewing platform two feet above floor level with a 24 ft ramp from outside. Whenever possible we sent one of our crew to work alongside the entertainments crew to make sure people who needed the viewing platform were aware of it and that people with disabilities were given a choice over whether to use the platform or be in the crowd. Our visitors were pleased with both the platform and the stewarding – the only suggested improvement was to make it bigger next year!

Signers:

We had two BSL signers based in GAMA who were also available if needed in the Green Forum, welfare and the Red Cross.

Marquee:

50ft diameter striped “big top” style. Inside we had a coffee bar, information table, plastic garden chairs, a table for children to sit and draw and a table for the large print programme. There was also a fenced-off area for charging electric wheelchairs.

Tipi for healers:

For people who have difficulty getting to the healing field.

Changing tent:

to provide space and privacy.

three taps:

one with a sink

Accessible loos:

behind the marquee and near the healers’ tipi which were cleaned twice a day.

Campfire:

We had a communal fire on a square raised iron fire stand with benches built by the GAMA crew.

Events In The GAMA Field

Morning activities for children:

This is an important part of GAMA. Parents with disabilities need extra time in the morning to get ready to go out. Children with disabilities are welcome as well as their siblings. The GAMA Kids used materials from a Bristol Scrap store to make costumes, windmills and miniature gardens. Calvin, a story-teller, came to entertain children and parents one lunchtime.

Live entertainment:

Unity and Devision – We invited this South London band to camp with us and to play in our marquee. They also played in the Green Forum and several other venues, attracting enthusiastic new audiences.

Other bands playing in the GAMA Marquee were the Mad Cows, Don Bradmans, Chickenshed Zeppelin and Lazy.

Films:

Whaledreamers: the AMARE co-ordinator arranged for the preview of Whaledreamers to be shown in the GAMA marquee and advertised on the BGG website. Before the film started an Aborigine didgeridoo player opened the event, the first time many people had heard it played properly.

Schnews:

brought us an evening of subversive cartoons and films including “Cows with Guns” and The Simpsons reminiscing about Woodstock.

Drummers:

The Mendip All Drummers ran workshops on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons and led a parade of children in costume from GAMA to the Village Green for the Children’s Party.

Attitude is Everything:

We arranged for Suzanne Bull from Attitude is Everything and her personal assistant to visit the GAMA field as well as speaking in the Green Forum. She met some of our crew and visitors and had lunch in Food and Farming. The horse-drawn cart for wheelchair users took her to the Campaigns field.

BOMA off-road wheelchair:

Chris Swift, the designer, and two of his crew from Molten Rock brought a BOMA off-road electric wheelchair for people to try in festival conditions. It has space at the back to carry a conventional wheelchair or other luggage. We have already had an offer of support with fundraising for a BOMA as travel around the BGG is difficult for many of our visitors.

Skill-sharing:

Sue Brumpton, Director of MERU, brought an exhibition about organisations which design and make specialised equipment for children and young people with severe disabilities. Another of our visitors shared his technical expertise and tools when people had problems with wheelchairs. Our marquee and campfire provided many opportunities for people to support and learn from each other.

Some Comments & Suggestion from Visitors:

“I thought the Kids’ space and activities were good. Costumes great. The fire and marquee chilled and friendly. Drumming successful and well-attended and used by all abilities. The site on edge of camping field quite integrated and the activities and entertainment similar to/some as good as stuff elsewhere on site. Great fun – attitude is everything! Thanks lovely people”

“Amazing to see disabled people at a festival. Useful and helpful workers looking after them. Superb. Keep up good work.”

“ I come here for that lovely start to the day coffee –the goods at the café are so sweet –it was our first port of call in Green Gathering and my little girl made a crown with the endless supply of feathers, glitter etc. Cheers guys”

“My boys and I have loved it. The volunteers here are really helpful and kind. The only comment I have is that people with disabilities have very different needs. My son is autistic so this site suits him. However we were next to a couple with mobility issues Perhaps you should have a more central site for people with mobility issues and offer motorised mobility scooters for hire/free from the start of the festival. Can’t wait till next year. Kind regards and thanks.”

“Big thanks for somewhere chilled that carers can come and hide for a little while when needed!”

“My first time at Big Green Gathering at 40 something!! Excellent. GAMA staff great. Good cups of tea. Lovely atmosphere around campfire especially when Unity and friends sang acoustic.”

“Thank you again for another wonderful festival and the ability to dip in just enough without feeling smothered. GAMA is growing into something great – and has much promise for the future. Yes, things are still lacking, but with the group’s vision and enthusiasm it will come. Keep on keeping on!”

“Our first visit to the BGG and “the best disabled facilities I’ve ever seen at a do like this” –my disabled partner-in-crime… as the non-disabled carer it’s been fab- the fire lit for us each night, a great massage too, some cool acts in the marquee and ALWAYS that cool –fluffy-warm energy which is so heart-warming. THANK YOU”

“ Our mobility and stamina problems mean we have given up on Glastonbury and even some of the smaller festies so this was our first time at BGG. What a wonderful festival with lovely people- the GAMA field was perfect –to unload from the car-what a treat!! Reading previous comments I can understand the bumpy site could cause problems for some but on the whole people were managing –the weather mostly helped!! THANK YOU to ALL the GAMA team who put in so much hard work and took so much trouble with any problems large and small! We’ll be back!!”

“Just a belated note to thank everyone in the GAMA Field for making the BGG so special and worry free for our family. All the thoughtful planning really made a difference and enabled our daughter & her brothers to enjoy themselves to the max (giving their parents a chance to join in with workshops and healing). The kids are now very well-informed little eco worriors! Thanks a million, you really have given us all some fantastic memories!”