Suffolk woman left feeling "sub-human" after festival experience
She was shocked by a lack of accessible toilets and charging points for wheelchairs
Last updated 21st Jun 2023
A Suffolk woman who uses a wheelchair says she was left feeling 'sub human' - after a bad experience at Download festival meant she left after just four hours.
Frances Simmonds-Mead she says she and her partner were shocked by a lack of accessible toilets and charging points for wheelchairs.
Frances has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and uses an electric wheelchair to get around.
She and her partner bought tickets to the festival after seeing they were accessible friendly but they left after less than 4 hours after feeling unsafe.
She told us how excited she was for the festival: "One of the things that was really exciting for me was that I was going to be spending some time with a lot of other like-minded disabled people.
"The music is what drew us in, as well as the stuff they put on social media, which is very much about this accepting community, saying that nobody would be left out.
"It was our first big holiday in a really long time and we spent months planning and buying specialist equipment, such as a bed that was the same height as my wheelchair.
"We felt really confident and excited and that was why it was so shocking when we got there.'
'If you want any help, there isn't any'
Frances and her partner drove for 13 hours to get to the event, and says it was obvious the moment they arrived there was something wrong.
She told us the accessible campsite was overbooked to the point of being a fire hazard and they couldn't find anyone to help them:
"It was clear they'd either oversold the campsite or they'd let people in that weren't meant to be because it was so packed.
"One of the things with the access campsites, especially the ones that have more wheelchair users using it, is that it can't be packed like a normal campsite because of guy rope crisscrossing - that's obviously a huge fire hazard...
"They'd already failed at that point."
Frances also says there were only 2 disabled toilets and 30 chargers for wheelchairs - which she says isn't enough, as electric wheelchairs take a long time to recharge (usually overnight) and the battery can wear down quickly if used in locations that cover a lot of land, such as Download Festival.
"I did see a lot of people who were really, really neglected and in, I would say unsafe situations.
"A lot of people, they weren't actually able to find anywhere to stay. Some people were being told ... to sleep in their cars, which is obviously not safe.
"It's not set up well and it's not what we had paid for...
"It's been horrific."
Complaints of those who attended Download 2023
Complaints of those who attended Download 2023
The impact
Frances told us the whole ordeal was "so emotionally draining" because they had put their trust into Download, and thought they would be okay because "Download very much advertises themselves as disability friendly."
"I think they owe everyone that attended or, wasn't able to attend this year an apology.
"I think they've let the disabled community down and most people that day I would say would have left feeling subhuman and very much on a lower level than everyone else.
"The able-bodied people... I know they had issues with water and stuff later on in the festival, but they were catered to and we weren't.
"You end up bringing it onto yourself and bring these feelings of 'not good enough' and 'different to everyone else' and 'maybe less'.
"I think a lot of people will have had a huge confidence knock here. I know I definitely have."
Download's response
Download Festival told us they had received the complaints and are taking them seriously and that they are working to resolve these issues with customers.