Knockengorroch CIC is committed to ensuring that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is embedded in everything we do. This means that:
- people will be treated equally and no-one will be discriminated against or prevented from participating in all or any of our initiatives due to their protected characteristics.
- We aim to actively promote and celebrate diversity in our community of artists, volunteers, guests, contractors, and festival goers.
- We aim to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome, support is in place to overcome barriers to access where possible, and everyone knows how they can report any breaches of this policy.
These are high aims, and we recognise we need to work hard and seek support from others in order to meet them. We are committed to reviewing this policy annually, taking in to account feedback and learning from each event.
How we ensure people are treated equally:
Discrimination, victimisation or harassment of any individual or group of individuals because of their:
- Age;
- Disability;
- Gender reassignment;
- Marriage or civil partnership;
- Pregnancy and maternity;
- Race;
- Cultural background;
- Language;
- Religion or belief;
- Sex OR
- Sexual orientation
is not tolerated at Knockengorroch festival or other Knockengorroch events. Any such discrimination witnessed should referred to the Festival Directors, Liz and Katch Holmes. At the festival, this can be done by visiting the Festival Office and requesting to speak to an Office Supervisor, who will pass this on to festival directors. Before or after the event this can be done via email to info@knockengorroch.org.uk
Festival Directors are responsible for adherence to this policy and will take all reports of discrimination seriously and respond promptly, they may involve other agencies where deemed appropriate.
How we will encourage and support a diverse community
Knockengorroch is a ‘world ceilidh’ – we feature a high content of international music and dance, actively seeking out and booking artists from varied cultural backgrounds, based within and outwith the UK.
We are working towards full gender equality in the artists we programme. We have taken the Keychange Pledge, joining a network of organisations working together and individually to ensure better representation in all areas of the industry. We are also members of the BIT Collective, a community of people interested in addressing gender and wider equalities issues in Scottish folk and traditional music. With support from these organisations we think critically about our programming, and platform not only women and non-binary artists, but also LGBTQI+ identifying artists and performers.
We actively support refugee rights, for example, by regularly programming performances by the Actors for Human Rights network. Asylum Monologues is performance piece which follows refugees on their journey across different borders and raises awareness of asylum seekers experiences by sharing their stories with the communities they now belong to.
We support minority communities and languages. We have a dedicated languages policy aimed at acknowledging, protecting and developing Scotland’s minority languages. We support work in other minority cultures and languages through our programming e.g. Zor from the Glasgow Roma community in 2024, Sami artist Kajsa Balto in 2024, Palestinian Akram Abdulfattah from the West Bank in 2023 and many others previous to this.
How we will create an inclusive environment
We hope that showcasing diverse artists is a step towards creating an inclusive environment. We are also aware that certain groups face specific barriers to access, and that we may need to work harder to ensure they feel included.
Disabled Access
Disabled people who require support in order to attend the festival can access a free personal assistant ticket on application to the festival. Details of how to do this are provided on our website.
The festival site consists of mostly level grass with trackway crossing the site where required, meaning most areas of the site are accessible to wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments. Free charging facilities for electric wheelchairs are available from the festival office. There is a dedicated disabled patrons’ campsite in a central location, where vehicles can be parked next to tents for the comfort and safety of disabled patrons.
The festival is set in a rural upland location, with plenty of space to take time out if quiet space is needed. We welcome all well-behaved dogs (provided they are kept on leads) including guide dogs and support dogs.
We are a small, family run festival and aim to respond to people’s specific needs where possible. We provide the contact email info@knockengorroch.org.uk and telephone number 01644 460 662 for those that wish to discuss their access requirements. We can also provide further information to help visitors decide if the festival is accessible to them. We maintain a volunteer steward presence within the main festival arena – stewards can provide support to improve access on request.
Going forward, we hope to work more in depth with Attitude is Everything, an organisation which aims to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live music by working in partnership with audiences, artists and the music industry.
Families and senior visitors
We provide a dedicated children’s area, specific children’s activities, children’s procession and family camping areas. We offer concession tickets for those in receipt of a state pension, free tickets for children under 12 and less-than-half-price tickets for 11-15s. We believe that an inter-generational approach enhances and enriches the event for all.
Further concessions
To make the festival financially accessible to a wider and local audience we offer concession tickets to students, disabled people, unwaged and local residents.
Local and Global Community
Knockengorroch is a Community Interest Company, and our governing document embeds benefitting the community into everything we do. We work:
- To promote a wider appreciation and public awareness of both rural Scotland’s distinctive upland heritage and world cultural diversity, including arts, crafts, poetry, musical tradition, history and environment, through the provision of educational/leisure facilities and the production of appropriate events;
- To support the rural community, including the promotion of upland resettlement and the bringing of additional visitors/tourists into areas in particular need of socioeconomic regeneration;
We hope that Knockengorroch can be a place where people feel welcome.
