Everyone should be able to take part in the things that matter to them.

At Visits Unlimited we work to make that possible for disabled people across Calderdale.

Members of our Accessible Calderdale Disability Access Forum (ACDAF) tell us that “accessibility is about much more than getting through a door.” It means being able to find out about an event or activity, travel to the venue and use the space or service. It also means feeling welcome and included.

Through our Accessible Calderdale project, disabled people share their lived experience and work alongside accessibility specialists. Together, we identify barriers that can make it harder to take part in community life, work, volunteering, culture, leisure and relationships.

These barriers may be physical, sensory, digital or practical. They may also be caused by inaccessible communication and attitudes.

We help venues, organisations and services remove these barriers so that existing opportunities work better for everyone. We do this through our training programme, access audits and by finding solutions through genuine co-production with the voluntary and statutory sector.

By improving local places and systems, we support stronger relationships, social connection, confidence, belonging and wellbeing.

This work also benefits inclusive placemaking, regeneration, tourism, culture and community development. Together, these improvements help create a fairer Calderdale.

Working with CultureDale

CultureDale has been an important partner in recent years. During Calderdale’s Year of Culture, we ran workshops across the borough. Local disabled people worked with commissioned artists and organisations to help make their programmes inclusive and accessible.

Our work together has included:

Making accessible events possible: Stage at the Lake

CultureDale’s mission is to work with communities to make culture and creativity more accessible to more people across Calderdale.

Through the Cup of Culture project, delivered in partnership with Visits Unlimited and the Accessible Calderdale Project, we aimed to bridge a gap. We wanted to bring local disabled people and cultural organisations together during Calderdale’s Year of Culture.

Accessible Calderdale facilitated workshops across the borough. These allowed disabled people to be consulted at the earliest stages of project development, helping organisations tailor their approach to people’s needs.

Many organisations benefited from co-creation sessions, training and advice. They also gained valuable insights by listening to the lived experiences of those who attended.

Planning accessibility with local disabled people

Working with the Accessible Calderdale Disability Access Forum is part of CultureDale’s ongoing commitment to making culture more inclusive.

For the Stage at the Lake Festival, Accessible Calderdale facilitated sessions where local disabled people could share what mattered most. This helped ensure that accessibility plans reflected their needs.

Accessible Calderdale also delivered Accessible Champion training to the newly appointed volunteer team supporting the event.

Accessibility arrangements at Stage at the Lake

Members of the group reviewed the site a few weeks before the event and again the day before it took place.

Feedback on accessibility at the festival was very positive. Arrangements included disabled parking, free carers’ tickets, accessible park and ride, and golf buggy transport across the site.

Staff and volunteers received training in customer service best practice. Audio description and BSL interpreters were also available.

These arrangements were made possible through partnership working and by including lived experience throughout the festival’s development.

This covered the entire visitor journey, from booking tickets to the welcome and support provided by staff. It helped ensure the access plan worked both during planning and in the final site set-up.

Alison’s Experience at Stage at the Lake

Alison Gillespie volunteers with the Accessible Calderdale Disability Access Forum. She experienced Stage at the Lake in two ways: as a volunteer accessibility adviser and as a customer attending a performance.

Alison met with the CultureDale team at Shibden Park, together with her colleagues Graham and Aisha. They reviewed the site, offered accessibility advice and shared their knowledge of the local area, including transport issues.

Alison was then able to experience the end result first-hand as a visitor attending the Stage at the Lake weekend.

Alison’s experience of the festival

“Stage at the lake. Saturday 15th August 2026. There was a variety. Including a performance from The Northern Ballet, with an excerpt from Gentlemen Jack. Amazing & very powerful. An incredibly talented orchestra and choir. Staff were amazing. The accessible viewing platform was great. Various food areas, including a wheelchair height bar. Transport from Dean Clough was arranged, park and ride. A phenomenal night. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to all involved.”

We would like to thank the team at the Stage at the Lake for being so positive about disability. They listened to local people and went the extra mile to make sure everyone attending the performances felt special and valued.

We look forward to continuing our work with CultureDale and being part of more events!

Find out more about accessibility and inclusion

Visits Unlimited works with organisations, venues and communities to improve accessibility and inclusion through practical advice, training and access audits.

Find out more about our disability inclusion training and disability access audit services.

You can also contact Visits Unlimited to discuss making your event, venue or organisation more accessible.