Europe\u2019s largest youth festival has pledged to provide more opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy the event.<\/p>\n
Officials from the Urdd National Eisteddfod, that\u2019s taking place in Port Talbot this year, are taking advantage of a special project designed to gear-up events and businesses to be user-friendly for people with additional needs.<\/p>\n
They signed up for a pioneering four-day course created by community interest company PIWS to establish Accessibility Champions within the organisations.<\/p>\n
Other events that have signed up include the National Eisteddfod that\u2019s being held in Wrexham in 2025, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, the Royal Welsh Show, along with Disability Sport Wales and Wales Young Farmers\u2019 Clubs.<\/p>\n
More than 50,000 youngsters register to take part in the movement’s Eisteddfod every year.<\/p>\n
The youngsters, aged from five to 25, take part in district and county Eisteddfodau earning the right to compete on the main stage at the Urdd National Eisteddfod.<\/p>\n
In 2025 event will be staged \u00a0between May 26 and 31\u00a0at Margam Park near Port Talbot.<\/p>\n
Urdd Arts Director Llio Maddocks said the movement “is committed to ensuring that the Urdd Eisteddfod will be a more accessible festival for competitors and visitors today and into the future.”<\/p>\n
She added the Urdd Eisteddfod is proud of the fact that it is a festival that develops and listens to recommendations, and following a process of consultation with experts in the field of disability and accessibility to the arts, a series of developments were made in 2024 to ensure that the festival grounds and activities are accessible and inclusive.<\/p>\n
These included the appointment of Oliver Griffith-Salter as Accessibility Officer for the Urdd Eisteddfod together with young consultants to assist with the work.<\/p>\n
Officials received expert advice on how to improve provision and ensured an accessible ‘high dependency’ toilet is available on the Maes.<\/p>\n
In addition a signing service in the pavilions and the Welcome Centre and opportunities for disabled and neurodiverse artists to perform and lead in the arts provision.<\/p>\n
Urdd Eisteddfod department staff have received access and disability inclusion training.<\/p>\n
Llio Maddocks added: “We are committed to improving accessibility and access to our arts events, which includes the Urdd National Eisteddfod.<\/p>\n
“The Eisteddfod is one of the cultural highlights of the Welsh calendar and an artistic festival that deserves to be enjoyed by everyone. As well as developing and adapting the Eisteddfod area, we also want to ensure opportunities for disabled and neurodiverse artists to perform and lead in our artistic provision.<\/p>\n
“We look forward to continuing to work together with our partners to ensure that the Urdd’s artistic offering evolves and grows.”<\/p>\n
Set-up in 2018, PIWS is a community-driven organisation dedicated to enhancing accessibility for individuals with disabilities, including autism, learning difficulties, sensory impairments, mobility challenges, and brain illnesses.<\/p>\n
Founder Davina Carey-Evans, who has two sons with complex disabilities and whose husband was severely disabled in a fall, is spearheading the project.<\/p>\n
As well as being the right thing to do, she said, it can also help the events tap into a lucrative market.<\/p>\n
“We hear a lot about the power of the LGBTQ+ community\u2019s pink pound but the purple pound is also very valuable and in accessible tourism across the UK,\u201d\u00a0 said Davina.<\/p>\n
“There are 16.1 million disabled people in the UK, this represents 24% of the population and it has been estimated there is an untapped potential value of \u00a315.8 billion a year in Accessible Tourism alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cGearing up businesses to be user-friendly for the disabled isn\u2019t just the right thing to do, it makes commercial sense as well,” she said.<\/p>\n
Davina has enlisted the help of three motivated women to run the project. All three have years of experience in the hospitality business and are dedicated to training.<\/p>\n
Among them is Rachel Jones, who hails from Cardiff but who now lives at Trawsfynydd near Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd.<\/p>\n
She said: “I’ve been training in hospitality for 30 years but it wasn’t until I had my own family that I realised how difficult it was for people to access venues if they had additional needs. There were many times when my own family just didn’t go out because it was more trouble than it was worth.<\/p>\n
“My passion has always been to help hospitality businesses to be the best they can be. I work mainly with very small businesses and it’s lovely to go back and see the effect training has made so this course has really opened my eyes to the difference we can make for families, for people with additional needs just by adjusting and making a few simple things.”<\/p>\n
PIWS\u00a0 focuses on creating an inclusive environment in both local and tourism settings. It started by organising safe space events for families with children with autism, gathering insights to develop practical solutions.<\/p>\n
During the past six years its efforts have expanded to address a wider range of disabilities, including partnerships with the tourism and hospitality sectors to make environments more inclusive.<\/p>\n
The organisation support families with disabled children and young adults up to 24 years old and its work extends across Wales collaborating with stakeholders to provide accessibility training, raise awareness, and promote best practices.<\/p>\n
More details about PIWS online at <\/strong>www.piws.co.uk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n