Whickham Villa News
Music festival returns for an encore!!
THE North-East is once again set to host a unique community music festival after it was confirmed the event would be back this summer following its huge success last year.
Chase Park Music Festival 2011 is a local collaboration between healthcare provider Whickham Villa LLP and charity Percy Hedley Foundation. Both organisations will work with disabled people to support them in organising, promoting, delivering and participating in the only annual festival of its kind in the region.
Coinciding with the start of Disability Awareness Week, the free open-air event, supported by North East specialist serious injury law firm Irwin Mitchell, will take place from 12.00pm to 21.00pm Saturday 2nd July in Chase Park in Whickham.
In 2010, it attracted a great crowd and this year’s programme will again consist of acts from all over the region. Confirmed acts already include The Soviets Skylark song, Mausi, The Pilots, Lake Poets and Hattie Murdoch.
Explaining the background to the Chase Park Music Festival, Boda Gallon, chief executive at Whickham Villa LLP, said: “Due to culture, location, finances and facilities, many mainstream outdoor music festivals can often be non inclusive.
“Although our festival is organised and attended by many people with disabilities, it is based on the idea of a mainstream event that is open, accessible and enjoyed by everyone in the whole community. In addition, it gives the region’s musical stars of all ages and abilities the chance to perform live in front of an open-air audience.”
The Festival is aimed at helping break down barriers and stereotypes often associated with people with disabilities. It is the region’s most inclusive outdoor entertainment event. The family-oriented festival uses music as the foundation to get people from all walks of life together to enjoy a fun-packed carnival atmosphere.
Ruth Woodfine, employability project manager at the Percy Hedley Foundation, said: “Last year’s event was an absolute blast and was enjoyed by disabled guests, their families, staff at Whickham Villa and various voluntary organisations, musicians and hundreds of people from across the North-East community.
“The festival helps demonstrate the important role music can play in the rehabilitation process, not just as a sensory stimulus but in bringing people together in a social situation. Although last year’s event was fantastic, this year promises to be even more spectacular and will no doubt attract thousands from across the region,” added Ruth.
The year’s event will include an array of musicians, performers and entertainers from a range of backgrounds and abilities. Guests will be able to experience dance performances and get involved with sound-beam demonstrations, drumming, DJ- decks and various competitions. Headline acts are still to be announced in the next few weeks.
As well as music, the event will also offer guests the chance to visit market stalls, a holistic therapy tent, an amusement arcade, craft stalls, face painting, beauty treatments and an array of food & drink. It will also include giant games and an education centre where kids can learn about disabilities and get an insight into the human brain.
Family owned Whickham Villa LLP is a leading North-East neuro rehabilitation company, which operates Chase Park Rehabilitation Centre, Millfield House Care Home and a health club. It primarily supports people with acquired brain and spinal injuries as well as people with complex neurological conditions and severe disabilities.
With a 25-year track record, the Tyneside-based specialist continues to maintain its client -focused culture whereby all its services are developed with the service user and their families in mind. In 2010, Chase Park Rehabilitation Centre became only the third in the UK to be given Approved Provider Status by the charity Headway - the brain injury association.
With over 500 staff, the Percy Hedley Foundation is one of the largest regional charities supporting disabled people. It helps over 1000 families, meeting the needs of disabled adults and children with cerebral palsy, communication impairments, sensory impairments and complex learning, social care and therapeutic needs.
Irwin Mitchell specialises in helping and providing legal support to those who have suffered serious injuries. The firm has been supporting those seriously injured for more than 95 years and is one of the largest and leading personal injury practices in the UK.
Its team was recognised in 2008, 2009 and 2010 for its client-focused approach and won the acclaimed Claimant Solicitor of the Year award (Rehabilitation Awards). Irwin Mitchell is one of the few law firms in the North-East that has been given Approved Head Injury Solicitor status by the charity Headway – the brain injury association.
For more information about the event or to apply for free tickets, people can register at www.whickhamvilla.co.uk and for more information about the Percy Hedley Foundation, please visit http://www.percyhedley.org.uk/ and Irwin Mitchell http://www.irwinmitchell.com
To view a video of last year’s music festival, visit http://www.whickhamvilla.co.uk/whickham-villa/videos
