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Band On The Wall receives Attitude Is Everything gold status
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 2 April 2015
Manchester venue Band On The Wall has been awarded ‘gold status’ by Attitude Is Everything, which campaigns for better access to live music for deaf and disabled people. It is the first small venue to receive this status, in recognition of its efforts to meet the charity’s best practice standards.
Announcing the news, Attitude Is Everything CEO Suzanne Bull said: “We are delighted to celebrate Band On The Wall reaching Gold Status of our Charter of Best Practice. Gawain Forster and his team are a real example to other small venues and, by attracting a committed audience of disabled fans, proof positive of the upsides that improved access can have for a business”.
She added that it does not need to be a major upheaval for other venues to follow suit: “Even relatively small changes, such as ensuring that your website offers clear information or that staff are welcoming and properly trained, can make a real difference to disabled customers and ensure they become fans of a venue for life”.
Band On The Wall’s Projects & Facilities Manager Gawain Forster added: “Band On The Wall is a real community venue at the heart of Manchester’s music scene, so we feel it’s hugely important that the events we stage are as inclusive as possible and can involve all of the local community. Whilst working toward Gold Status, we have experienced how much live music can mean to disabled audiences, and I’m immensely proud that we are breaking new ground in this regard”.
Other holders of AIE Gold Status include The O2 Arena and Glastonbury Festival.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Attitude Is Everything news, the charity has announced outgoing Hove & Portslade MP and vocal music industry supporter in Parliament, Mike Weatherley, as a new addition to its list of patrons.
“Attitude Is Everything is an incredible charity that has a real impact on improving deaf and disabled people’s access to live music”, said Weatherley. “Given the fundamental importance of live music in British culture, it is only right that we do all that we can to make sure that everyone has access to performances and is able to get full enjoyment of our wonderful creative talent. I am delighted to become a patron of Attitude Is Everything and will do my best to help ensure that fair and equal service is at the heart of live music”.
