Accessibility
Home Education Families’ Festival (HEFF) is committed to creating an event that is accessible to all. This includes everything from making our website accessible for people who are blind or deaf to creating an event that everyone can enjoy regardless of their physical or mental health, including neurodiversity.
Our website uses One Click Accessibility which enables the end user to choose various ways to display the web pages including being able to increase the font size and change the contrast. Our images have image descriptions for screen readers and we will continue to improve where needed.
Our festival takes place once a year and accessibility for people with mobility needs has always been important to us when choosing a venue.
Staffordshire Showground is a large venue spread over grassed camping areas with tarmac lanes running between them.
It is mostly flat access around the main buildings, except for two areas that have alternative access avoiding steep slopes.
Most of the access to the buildings is via double doors, however a regular sized wheelchair can fit through a single open door. There is level access to all buildings and areas used during the festival.
Camping areas –
The camping area is long and slopes down from the main buildings to the quieter camping area at the bottom of the site. This slope can be difficult for some manual wheelchair users.
We have two accessible camping areas, both with EHU and non EHU pitches. One is at the lower end of the campsite and one is located near the main buildings. There is a brick built accessible shower and toilet (currently in separate rooms and accessible by radar key) at the bottom end and we hire in temporary accessible facilities for the top end of the site.
The tarmac lanes running through the campsite allow for wheelchair users to traverse the site with the minimal amount of grass needing to be crossed. The grass is accessible by wheelchair, but in wet weather it could become harder to cross in places. The pitches have curbed edges with level access in some places. It’s advisable to check where the level access points are before setting up camp.
Toilets – the showground has several accessible toilets spread across the site including the camping area. Please see the map for individual locations. Please note that where red emergency pull cords are installed, they trigger the alarm locally only. They are not monitered by showground staff or HEFF volunteers.
Shower room – the main accessible shower is located towards the north end of the camping areas before the quiet area. It is a large tiled room with a level access shower and a sink. There is a shower stool and two grab rails within the shower with two more grab rails near the sink. There is also a toilet with handrails and a shelf with hooks and a bench in the shower room.
An additional accessible toilet is in the same building. The door is on the opposite side to the shower room. There is a path that runs from one to the other. A second temporary accessible shower will be located near the Games Hall.
Main Building – the main building can be accessed via the entrance from the accessible parking area (see photo of brown double doors) or via the doors looking out towards the bandstand. There is a side entrance with internal ramp access next to the steps, however it may be too steep for some users.
The photo with the green bollards shows the side entrance to the main hall that is quite steep. To avoid this area use the large brown double doors from the accessible car park.
If using the side entrance this is the internal ramp avoiding the steps. It is quite steep but level access is available from the car park to the main hall via the brown double doors.
First Aid – the first aid room is located outside Bingley Hall and has ramp access. Please notify a member of crew if you need assistance.
More information about first aid and local medical services can be found in the festival guide.
There will be facilities for storing medication if needed and power points made available for charging wheelchairs.
Games Hall – Access to the games hall is via a flat path and has level access through the doors, although there is a slight lip that some castor wheels may struggle with. Alternative access can be made via the side door if necessary. There is an accessible toilet inside the building.
Workshop areas – the workshops areas are all level access throughout and have accessible toilets nearby. Access to the workshops is via double doors. A regular width powerchair can fit through just one door, but both doors can be opened if need be.
All the workshops that have a performance element are accessible for people with limited mobility. There will be ramp access to the stage throughout rehearsal and performance times.
Strobe lighting – there will be strobe lighting in Sandylands when rehearsals and performances are taking place. Please speak to a member of the crew if this means you would be unable to use the space while the strobes are on.
Grandstand Cafe – there is an onsite cafe with a wide entrance. The metal ridges in the floor can cause some wheelchairs problems. We are working with the site to improve the situation.
We hope that this page provides answers to a lot of the questions you may have, but if you do find you need more information please get in touch by email or using one of the contact forms on the website.
