BOOKING IS NOW CLOSED - please email info@thesingingelf.co.uk with last minute enquiries
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Who Can Attend FAQs
No - most singers are attending as individuals or with friends this year
No problem! We encourage complete beginners to come along.
No - songs will mainly be learnt from lyric sheets and by ear
Yes - you can add others to your booking, or link to them in your booking if they book separately so that you are placed in workshops together
Participation in the daytime workshops is strictly for adults aged 18+. However, children can attend for free as an audience member for the evening performance when accompanied by an adult.
Accessibility FAQs
Lots of our regular singing community experience anxiety, we also have a lot of neurodivergent singers, volunteers and staff too. We have a whole host of measures in place to support you and we encourage you to tell us as much as you can during booking so that we can provide the best possible assistance for you. We know that you might not be used to your needs being taken into account at other events, however, we can assure you that accessibility is at the heart of the festival, especially for those who can sometimes feel marginalised.
If you are anxious, first of all, please know that you are not alone and that it’s normal to feel anxious about new experiences. You may still feel a little unsure about mixing after the pandemic or have specific concerts. We will provide you with as much information as possible via our website, emails, videos and social media posts to help you plan and get an idea of what to expect. But we encourage you to get in touch if you can’t find out what you want to know, however insignificant it might be to others, we know it might be essential for you.
Our experienced team of Wellbeing Volunteers will be on hand all day to assist you and provide one to one support in addition to our friendly Stewards. If you feel that it would be helpful to have a designated person to support you, please let us know and we will arrange for one of our team to meet you on arrival. If you experience distress, overwhelm or shutdown during your time with us, our Wellbeing Team will be there to get your into a quiet space and support you through it.
PLEASE NOTE: Whilst our stewards are there to help, they cannot be with you the whole time. If you feel that you would benefit from having someone with you, we recommend that you book to bring a companion with you.
We have reduced parking anxiety by providing the ability to book a space in our own event car park in advance and you can be transported in between venues on our accessible shuttle buses. Our quiet rooms provide a space to retreat from the hustle and bustle of the event in all of our venues. If you experience discomfort or overwhelm from sensory input there are other ways we can support you too.
Whilst we regularly work with people with a wide range of needs, each individual person is unique so we ask you to be specific and tell us as much as you can during booking to help us understand how we can best help you. We will be in touch to ask you the best way to discuss your needs, this might be via email, What’s App messages or phone depending on what is accessible for you.
Yes - If you need assistance to attend the festival, you can book a FREE companion ticket so that a friend or carer can accompany you. If you have a trained assistance or therapy dog you can bring them too.
PLEASE NOTE: Whilst our stewards are there to help, they cannot physically assist you due to insurance purposes. If you need to lean on someone, require help to get into or out of a chair, or cannot move around on your own with your own mobility aids, you will need to bring a companion with you.
No problem - if you can’t walk between our venues you’ll be offered assistance from our accessible shuttle bus which has a tail lift for those who can’t manage steps, use mobility aids or wheelchairs. You can read more about distances to our venues on our festival map here.
If your walking is extremely limited and you can’t manage around 50 yards or less, tell us during booking and we will be in touch to make sure that you can use the shortest routes through our venues and get a little extra help from our stewards. Please let us know if it’s uncomfortable for you to stand in a queue during registration and they will fast track you or bring you a chair. Many of our singers have fluctuating conditions that might change on the day so please state the help you would need on your worst day during booking.
PLEASE NOTE: Whilst our stewards are there to help, they cannot physically assist you due to insurance purposes. If you need to lean on someone, require help to get into or out of a chair, or cannot move around on your own with your own mobility aids, you will need to bring a companion with you.
You’ll be able to sit down at any point during the festival and do not need to stand to sing but we will ask you to sit at the front so that you can see our singing leaders and they can see you. As the day goes on you may become tired so please use a chair to help pace yourself whenever you can. Please do not suffer in silence and just ask if a seat is not directly beside you. Many of our singers have fluctuating conditions that might change on the day so please state the help you would need on your worst day during booking.
PLEASE NOTE: Whilst our stewards are there to help, they cannot physically assist you due to insurance purposes. If you need to lean on someone, require help to get into or out of a chair, or cannot move around on your own with your own mobility aids, you will need to bring a companion with you.
All our venues are fully accessible and have ramps available. Please just ask our stewards and they will assist you on arrival. In order to safely manage movement around Elvet Methodist Church we will be using a one-way system at peak times. Please make sure you tell stewards if you cannot manage steps, especially steps without a handrail and they will direct you to flat floor routes instead.
All of our seated areas within the workshop spaces are on a flat floor apart from the wooden pews in Elvet Methodist Church which are accessed by a small half step onto the original wooden plinth. However, flat floor seating can be provided. If you cannot manage steps of any form, please state this in your booking so that we can provide the most suitable options for you. Our stewards will also be happy to help.
In two of our main spaces, the seating is on original wooden pews. Unfortunately pews are not very comfortable and we do recommend that you bring a cushion (we will also have a limited number available to borrow on the day). However, if you feel that wooden seating would be painful for you, other cushioned seating can be provided, please state this in your booking so that we can provide the most suitable options for you. Our stewards will also be happy to help.
There are Blue Badge Parking Bays on the streets nearby however street parking is usually very busy and expensive. If you are unable to book a space in our accessible event car park and use a shuttle bus, we will discuss other options with you. You may wish to arrange to be dropped off directly outside our venues. We also have a limited number of accessible parking bays at our main venue - Elvet Methodist Church. If you are a wheelchair user, have limited walking capacity or are unable to move around on your own, we will be in contact to discuss the best options for you. Please give as many details as you can in your booking.
Yes - our minibuses are provided by an experienced community transport community who specialise in transporting those with accessibility needs. Our buses have a tail lift for those who can’t manage steps, use mobility aids or are wheelchair users.
Blue Badge Parking:
We also have a limited number of accessible parking bays at our main venue - Elvet Methodist Church. If you are a wheelchair user, have limited walking capacity or are unable to move around on your own, we will be in contact to discuss the best options for you. Please give as many details as you can in your booking.
Yes - all of our venues have small quiet rooms away from the singing where you can take a break or chat with one of our Wellbeing Volunteers. Please just ask our stewards and they will assist you.
Yes - all of our venues have accessible toilets. Please just ask our stewards and they will assist you.
If you have specific requirements to access a toilet, please state this in your booking and we will provide photographs with detailed information of the layout and facilities of the toilet in each venue.
PLEASE NOTE: Whilst our stewards are there to help, they cannot physically assist you due to insurance purposes. If you need to assistance with personal care, or require help to use the toilet facilities due to mobility, you will need to bring a companion with you
Please let us know if you are deaf, have a hearing impairment or use a hearing aid during booking, including if you use Hearing Loops. We will then be in touch to ensure we offer support appropriate to your needs. For some of our singers, this might also include using our Quiet Rooms where you can take a break from particularly noisy spaces. One of our regular singers is deaf and we have a range of support options we can offer. Unfortunately, we are not providing Sign Language Interpreters at this year’s festival as this has not yet been requested.
Please let us know if you are blind, have a visual impairment or prefer to use large print during booking. We will then be in touch to ensure we offer support appropriate to your needs. For some of our singers, this might also include using our Quiet Rooms where you can take a break from particularly noisy spaces. One of our regular singers is blind and we have a range of support options we can offer. Unfortunately, we are not providing Braille resources at this year’s festival as this has not yet been requested, however we can supply digital resources in a range of formats.
You may wish to be seated closer to display screens in our main venue or be positioned in a specific way due to the lighting in the room to assist with lip reading or light sensitivity. In most cases, we recommend that you book a Companion Ticket to bring along someone to support you on the day. Our stewards will also be happy to assist you.
Please let us know if you require large print versions of our printed resources. You may also wish to request lyric and information sheets to be printed on a different coloured paper, for example, some of our regular singers use green sheets as they are dyslexic. Some of our singers with dyscalculia also prefer timetables to be adapted to improve accessibility. Please give us as much information as you can during booking so that we can get the right support in place for you in advance of the day.
Parking FAQs
All those arriving at the festival between 9am - 1.30pm who have booked a space in advance. Arrivals cannot be guaranteed after 1.30pm due to the steward & bus requirements elsewhere in the festival at this point. Car Park users will be able to return to their vehicle at any time.
You can arrive between 9am - 1.30pm. We recommend you arrive ONE HOUR before your first session starts to allow time to park, walk or take our Shuttle Bus to Elvet, register and take your seats in good time. This is especially important at peak times or in wet weather due to extra demand on our shuttle buses. Some singers may choose to arrive earlier than this and visit the City before City before their first session.
You will be asked to tell us your anticipated arrival time during booking. If you aren't sure, you can return to your booking later to update your timings. This will help us to plan our bus rotas to optimise our transport costs.
No - arrivals cannot be guaranteed after 1.30pm at our event car park due to the steward & bus requirements elsewhere in the festival at this point.
If your first session at the festival is Thrive or Shine, you are welcome to arrive early to use our car park and visit the city before your session starts. Otherwise there are a range of public and street parking options nearby. For those arriving for the evening performance, street parking near Elvet Methodist Church is free after 6pm and our doors open at 6.30pm.
Car Park users will be able to return to their vehicle at any time. (There are no parking barriers or gates to gain access) A shuttle bus will be on standby throughout the event if singers need to return to their vehicle outside the anticipated peak return times at the end of the workshops and performance. You don’t need to tell us what time you need to return to your vehicle during booking. Nearer the event, we will ask singers to inform us if they plan to use the shuttle bus outside the main times we know that most users will be returning at the end of Thrive and Shine.
No - the only car park designated for the festival is our Event Car Park at Durham Rowing Club. Our venues do not have their own car parks. Although street parking is available on Old Elvet it is usually very busy, parking elsewhere in the city is available but can be expensive. We therefore recommend that our singers use our Event Car Park & Shuttle Bus service.
The event car park is located at Durham Rowing Club, Green Lane, Old Elvet, DH1 3JU. You can find more details on the Festival Map here.
It costs £5 per day (no matter how long you stay). Spaces must be booked in advance during booking and payment is required to confirm your booking. Car Park spaces are limited and booked on a first-come-first served basis.
Not at our event car park. Parking must be booked in advance during your festival ticket booking and payment is required to confirm your space.
Yes, if you have booked and paid for parking during your booking your parking spot is guaranteed if you arrive between 9am - 1.30pm. No arrivals can be guaranteed after 1.30pm due to the steward & bus requirements elsewhere in the festival at this point.
If your first session at the festival is Thrive or Shine, you are welcome to arrive early to use our car park and visit the city before your session starts. Otherwise there are multiple public car park facilities nearby (Click here to view & print other options). For those arriving for the evening performance, street parking near Elvet Methodist Church is free after 6pm and our doors open at 6.30pm.
Accessible toilets, cafe serving food and bar serving drinks, sheltered outdoor seating at pick up point.
There are a range of options nearby. For those arriving for the evening performance, street parking near Elvet Methodist Church is free after 6pm and our doors open at 6.30pm.
Shuttle Bus FAQs
The main entrance of Durham Rowing Club & and on pavement in front of Elvet Methodist Church. For those requiring help to move between our other venues our stewards will co-ordinate this.
Donations are encouraged via our booking system.. Our event shuttle buses have been sponsored by the Mark Masons of Durham who have kindly provided support from the Durham Provincial Grand Mark Lodge Benevolent Fund. However, as the most expensive aspect of our accessibility provision, we encourage everyone to consider making a donation of £2 per person to help contribute towards the costs not covered by this funding.
Yes - we anticipate that lots of singers will use the bus between our car park and Elvet, especially in bad weather. Most of our singers will be able to walk between our other venues but the buses are available for those with accessibility needs for those shorter distances as well. You’ll be asked to state the support you’re likely to need during booking.
Yes - volunteers will be able to accept cash donations
Our minibuses are provided by an experienced community transport community who specialise in transporting those with accessibility needs. Our buses have a tail lift for those who can’t manage steps, use mobility aids or are wheelchair users. You can read lots more Accessibility Information here about anything you might need at the festival.
Yes - the buses will reduce service at several points during the day but there will always be one bus on standby to return singers to their cars if they need to leave unexpectedly. You will need to request a lift from our stewards who will make arrangements with you and tell you where and when to wait to be collected.
There is a designated ‘drop off’ area at the top of Old Elvet shown on our Festival Map here. This area is about 200m walk from our main venue. There is limited drop-off space directly outside Elvet, especially as this is where our buses will be dropping off. We therefore ask visitors to avoid being dropped-off there for safety reasons, or ask drivers to briefly pull into one of the street parking bays on Old Elvet to drop off. (Drivers must remain with the vehicle, or pay for a short stay to avoid being ticketed by the City's eager traffic wardens.)
Food & Drink FAQs
Refreshments are not available to purchase in our venues apart from the Rowing Club Cafe Bar which is serving breakfast & lunch and a range of drinks.
Singers are welcome to bring their own picnic to enjoy indoors at our main venue Elvet Methodist Church along with drop-in creative & wellbeing activities. But we do encourage you to visit the variety of food & drink outlets within an easy 100m walk, take a stroll down to the riverside or pop across the bridge into the City, a 5-10 min walk from Elvet.
No - no alcohol can be brought into Elvet Methodist Church, this will be strictly adhered to and we invite singers to enjoy a drink in the nearby bars & restaurants or at the Rowing Club instead.
We recommend all singers bring their own water bottles which can be refilled in the hall at our main venue. Elvet does not allow single-use plastic to be used in the venue. We will therefore be selling re-usable festival water bottles at a cost of £5 per bottle (unlimited water refills!)
Our minibuses are provided by an experienced community transport community who specialise in transporting those with accessibility needs. Our buses have a tail lift for those who can’t manage steps, use mobility aids or are wheelchair users. You can read lots more Accessibility Information here about anything you might need at the festival.