Equality & Diversity Policy
Bakewell Wool Gathering is a family-run event and we aim to embrace every member of the knitting, crochet, and wool-craft community. This includes community members who might have in the past felt sidelined or excluded. Below you can read our Equality and Diversity Policy, which outlines how we intend to achieve this aim.
Aims
Bakewell Wool Gathering is open to all members of the craft community, regardless of gender, age, race, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic—whether protected or otherwise. The only requirement we have is that exhibitors and visitors treat each other with respect in the same way.
Accessibility
We aim to be as accessible as possible for all exhibitors and visitors. This includes choosing venues which are wheelchair accessible and planning the layout to ensure full access for wheelchair users. We also provide free access for carers who are accompanying disabled visitors.
We build our website and plan our online presence following accessibility guidelines (https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/). If you experience any problems, please let us know so we can help you and make changes.
Diversity
We recognise that increased diversity in the community benefits the entire community in the form of the skills, knowledge, and creativity available to us all. All exhibitors and visitors should feel welcome and accepted, and free from discrimination.
We encourage exhibitor applications from all sections of the community. During the application process, we don’t request personal information that relates to protected characteristics. Nor do we consider this during the selection process. We make selections purely on merit, based on the product information available to us. Our criteria is based on quality, uniqueness, and potential visitor appeal.
If your application is rejected and you would like feedback, you may request this, although due to volume of requests it may not be possible to provide this.
We don’t keep records of exhibitor or visitor demographics so we’re unable to provide these.
Inclusion and Respect
Every exhibitor at or visitor to Bakewell Wool Gathering should be made to feel equally welcome and included. Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise offensive and inflammatory remarks and behaviour are not acceptable. These constitute harassment, and have no place in our event.
Dealing with Discrimination and Harassment
Discrimination and harassment will not be accepted and any visitor observed behaving in a way contrary to the aims of this policy will be asked to leave the event. Any exhibitors displaying discriminatory or harassing behaviour can also expect to be excluded from future events arranged by the organisers.
If at any point you are made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or excluded, please contact an organiser for assistance.