CoreFest is a two-day free music festival set in the stunning orchards at Hft Sussex. The event is fully accessible to the whole community; so that people of all backgrounds, ages and abilties can come together and share their love of music. With two stages of live music - including a range of popular local bands - workshops and entertainment, plus stalls and other attractions, there's something for the whole community to enjoy at this unique inclusive event. Wheelchair accessible paths, disabled facilities, dedicated chill-out areas, accessible camping, experienced staff and free entry mean that people with disabilities can feel confident joining us; and the great bands, licenced bar and wealth of other entertainment on offer mean that people of all ages and backgrounds from the local community will have a great time too. CoreFest has been extremely popular since its launch 3 years ago; and our recent 2018 event was a sell-out success. We need your help to make 2019 even better!

What we'll deliver:

• Run a free, inclusive music festival for the whole community
• Offer overnight camping, including accessible camping for people with disabilities
• Use any money fundraised on the day to help Hft Sussex support local people with learning disabilities
• Involve local bands and entertainers, including people with disabilities
• Ensure that the festival is fully accessible for people with disabilities
• Create volunteering and other opportunities for local groups and other individuals

Why it's a great idea:

For people with learning (and other) disabilities, acessing the local community can be difficult. And enjoying activites that others of us might take for granted - like seeing live music - can be almost impossible. Lack of accessible facilities, limited personal funds, low support hours, social anxiety and/or a lack of understanding from the wider community can all make even simple social activities difficult to achieve. That's why Hft Sussex created CoreFest; a unique fully inclusive music festival set in our beautiful orchards. With small crowds, dedicated chill-out areas, fully accessible facilities and free entry for all, this festival is open to people of all disabilities and none! This festival has become a highlight of the year for many people that we support, and has been enjoyed by hundreds of families and individuals from the local community. It's been great for promoting community cohesion and the people we support are much more confident going out and about as a result.

Steps to get it done:

• Booking a wide range of local bands and entertainments (now onwards, as funds permit)
• Booking stage, sound and lighting (done)
• Expanding our licence to allow more people to enjoy the festival
• Engaging local corporates, groups and individiuals in volunteering opportunities
• Expanding our network of wheelchair accessible pathways through our orchards
• Promoting the festival through a range of printed, online and social media
• Booking provisions such as portaloos, security etc
• Making free tickets, camping and parking spaces are available to book in advance (helps us manage numbers on the day)
• Engaging food and drink vendors, stall holders etc to support the event
• Having a brilliant weekend of accessible music and entertainment in June 2019!!

We are determined to keep our event free for all to attend, so that it really is as inclusive as possible. However, we do need some help covering our running costs! We are very lucky to have had our two stages, sound and lighting donated for the past three years, but there are still a lot of other costs to cover, including band expenses, portable toilets, accessible pathways and more. We would also like to expand the entertainment on offer, including engaging a local circus and hiring equipment such as bouncy castles or fairground rides. In another couple of years, we will have reached the point where it will be worthwhile for these entertainers to come along and support us for free; but we still need to grow a bit before that becomes possible. Your financial support now will help us ensure sustainability for the future!