Didn't get round to posting on this when it was more active, but thought I would add a few comments on things that haven't been discussed before (unless I have missed them). There have been so many comments on the things that I *did* enjoy at the festival that I'm not going to repeat them. So don't take it that I am knocking the festival as a whole when I give more negative thoughts.

Re noisy field v. quiet field. We were definitely told that the left hand field as you came in was supposed to be the quiet field and, as such, thought it might be worth the organisers putting the tent used as a late night session tent in the other one! Ear plugs are wonderful things though.

Facilities for disabled people - the organisers seem not to know that under the Disability Discrimination Act they have a duty to take practical and reasonable steps to overcome discrimination. There seemed to be an assumption that disabled people will be elderly, not want to join in with any dancing, and won't mind if they can only access a few venues. This could then become a self-fulfilling prophecy! Info on venues in the programme was very hit and miss. We emailed the Festival as soon as we found that our daughter was going to need to use a wheelchair, but never had any reply to our queries and only had a very dismissive response (from the Tourist info office?) when we phoned the info line. In the actual week we reached someone much more helpful, but it was rather late to put some things in place.

Needing disabled access we hadn't much choice about where we could camp and the area reserved for "disabled" was almost the most sloping and uneven that there was! We moved to the caravan row, but it was still not as level as the areas along the top edge of the field, which were all taken. And, disabled people do need to wash sometime during the week! Particularly young, sweaty campers! The disabled toilet had no washing facilities in it. Luckily we could get my daughter up into the showers as she can still walk a bit, but next year maybe not. And it would have been a fairly simple task to provide a ramp to one of the shower units.

The buses were great - they are the only reason why we continue to camp on the Festival site. They allow freedom for everyone in the family to get around independently and all get back for supper together. They must reduce congestion in the town considerably and I, for one, am happy to pay my £20 a week. Using the car would be a lot less convenient and more expensive in parking fees. And a big thank-you to the bloke who removed the wheelchair-and-pushchair-obstructing-bar in the middle of the doorway!

I notice in the comments about younger folkies and older ones that no-one has mentioned the age segregation that appears to be encouraged by the "Bulverton only" tickets (which were the only student concession tickets, I think). My daughter (the mad one with pink hair and a wheelchair) and a friend were just under the 18 years age limit this year, so were able to go to anything that appealed, but said that there was no way that they want the "Bulverton only" option next year. They found the Bulverton events in the evenings boring because they were disco type things, and some others they spoke to said that they were only hanging out there because they couldn't afford the Gold tickets.

RE amplified music on the prom - did anyone else notice that the music of the panpipe "player" didn't always stop when he took his mouth away from the pan pipes! And people were still giving him money! It would be much better for the festival if the police did enforce the "no amplified music" bit. I was playing happily on the front one day and then got drowned out by an amplified group that set up really close. And most of the amplified lot couldn't care two hoots for the festival; it's just seen as a cash opportunity - they migrate to anywhere there will be a lot of people and they are crowding out the folk musicians.

Andy says to send comments to Sidmouth, which I did, but it would be nice if our comments were acknowledged in some way. I went to the link provided further up, but couldn't see any of my comments represented. As it is, sadly, I don't even know if my comments have got through to those who need to read them. We want to come next year, but need to know if we will be able to manage, without making my daughter feel like a second class citizen.

And, lastly, I have offered to help if the organisation needs any advice on reasonable, practical solutions to disability access. So, I'm not being negative without offering to do something about it!

Susan B