Frome Children's Festival is on its way! Purple Elephant organisers are revving up to Sunday the 21st August, with this year's focus on making the day the most accessible one so far!  The team have consulted with and worked with local youth groups and schools with additional needs, as well as taken advice from local families who have first-hand experience of living with a child with additional needs. 

Eight young people, all with additional needs, from Somerset Parent Carers Forum, came along to the festival last year and wrote a report, which has been used to guide the approach to this year's event. Open Storytellers will take part with an exciting new theatre performance plus Critchill School students have designed awesome T-shirts for the volunteers and young trainees to wear at this year.

Pod and Pod plus, a local charity working with young people with additional needs, will be running a jewellery-making stall; there will be clay modelling for the visually impaired, a zip wire which is accessible to people who use wheelchairs, Widgit communication symbols, clearer signage, BSL interpreters and family support workers, boccia and seated volleyball to name just some of the 30+ free activities on the day!

Running from the Cheese and Grain, along the length of the river bank and woods and into the whole of Welshmill Park, there will be priority wrist bands for young people with additional needs and a 'Changing Places' accessible toilet in the Market Yard carpark. All the activity providers will also be given guidelines on best practice in working with young people with additional needs.

The FREE Frome Children's Festival takes place from 10am-4pm, 21st August, thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, Frome Town Council and the generosity of its amazing volunteers but donations will be gratefully received to keep this annual event alive every year and getting bigger and better each time - donations can be made by the public via the website or by text.

If you would like to donate your TIME then the festival organisers are also looking for adult VOLUNTEERS, ideally with some experience of community events, with between 2-5 hours to spare on 21st August and if you also have a current DBS certificate please do step up.

Please see website www.purpleelephant.org  or email [email protected] for more information

To donate: please text 5PURPLE to 70580 to donate £5, 10PURPLE to 70580 to donate £10, or 20PURPLE to 70580 to donate £20