Hundreds at Hawth open day for disabilities

Thanks to West Sussex County Council, which provided funding through its short breaks for disabled children and young people budget, the theatre hosted workshops in arts and crafts, circus performance, DJ-ing, and music; plus theatre tours, technical demonstrations and information stalls from local disability groups.

A key feature of the event was the chance to see the Changing Places toilet recently completed there. It is larger and has additional equipment over standard accessible toilets and was paid for using a Government grant of £97,000 handed to Crawley Borough Council to fit two. The other one will soon be opened at K2 Crawley.

Cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing, Cllr Chris Mullins, said: “What a fantastic event it was, to be able to show the new Changing Places facility at The Hawth and for so many people to enjoy the workshops and other activities there.”

Steven Quayle brought along his eight-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy, cerebral visual impairment, and is on the autistic and ADHD pathway.

Steven said: “He thoroughly enjoyed everything about the day, especially the juggling, unicycle and bubbles outside and the drumming workshop, they were all really good at getting him involved. A massive thank you to the excellent tour guide, who gave us a really good insightful tour of The Hawth, while our son attached himself to her and ‘assisted’ her at every stop.”

Graeme Russell, general manager at the Hawth, said:"The team at The Hawth are very proud of how accessible the venue is and work hard to match that with welcoming service for our customers of all abilities. The addition of the new Changing Places facility only serves to highlight and extend that service, making The Hawth one of the most inclusive regional theatres in the South East.

“We hope the outcome of the Disability open Day is that more customers with diverse needs feel comfortable in attending events at The Hawth including the British Sign Language-interpreted, audio described and relaxed performances of Sleeping Beauty, our Christmas pantomime for 2023, as well as BSL and AD performances during the run of the ever-popular musical Annie in November."