Accessibility Statement

UK PonyCon is committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy the convention, regardless of physical or mental disabilities.

How we help you to enjoy the convention

The venue is modern and fully wheelchair accessible. UK PonyCon is spread across four floors, connected via multiple staircases and lifts, although most attendees will spend most of their time on only two floors.

There are four gender neutral accessible toilets (two on each of the two main floors). Additional gendered accessible toilets are available within some of the gendered toilets. The closest Changing Places toilet is located at the Victoria Centre and additional Changing Places toilets are listed on the Nottingham City Council website.

Guide dogs are permitted at the convention, and there is no need for prior notification. Other assistance dogs are permitted, although if possible we would appreciate prior notification via email at accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk so that we can better accommodate you and your assistance dog. Other dogs and other animals are not permitted.

Attendees who find queuing for long periods of time difficult can use the priority queue for fast-track entry into the convention. This will be clearly signposted and members of the UK PonyCon team will be on hand to assist. Please note however, that you will not be admitted to the event before the advertised admittance time for your ticket type. If you feel you need any extra assistance or somewhere to sit down, please don't hesitate to ask a member of the UK PonyCon team who will be more than willing to help.

Our team are on hand to provide support where necessary, and will help attendees who find queueing difficult by offering a seated waiting option, and assistance in finding a suitable seat within event rooms wherever possible. Please approach any member of the team to request this support.

Our con books, detailing everything that happens at the convention, are printed at A5 size. We also have a limited quantity of large-print A4 size con books, which are identical in all respects except for the size, and are available on request from the registration/information desk. The con book is also available as a downloadable PDF from this website in the weeks before the convention. If you require the con book in an alternative format, please contact us by emailing accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk.

A quiet room is available for those who need a quiet space away from the crowds.

Personal Assistant Tickets

People who need extra help often have someone they trust to provide that help, whether that’s a family member, friend or professional carer. The support and its frequency will vary on a case-by-case basis, however typical examples include providing support with communication, physical mobility, mental health and/or personal care. We believe that by allowing you to bring them with you to the event, you’ll have the best possible experience, therefore we offer complimentary Personal Assistant Tickets.

Personal Assistant tickets can be requested while purchasing your ticket or by emailing accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk after purchase with your order number and request. Personal Assistant tickets are not available on the door.

In the interests of data protection we do not request evidence of disability to claim a Personal Assistant ticket, however we kindly remind you that we offer these tickets so that those who truly benefit from them can make the most of the event, and that the event is organised on a non-profit basis by volunteers for the benefit of the community.

Personal Assistant tickets are free of charge when accompanying a paying attendee and equivalent to a standard ticket for the same duration as the attendee’s ticket.

Unlike paid tickets purchased before 1st August 2024, personal assistant badges will not be printed with personalised names; instead a space will be provided to handwrite your name. This flexible approach means you can bring someone else as your Personal Assistant, should your plans change between buying your ticket and the convention. If a printed personalised badge is important to your Personal Assistant, we invite them to purchase a full-price ticket before 1st August 2024.

If the Personal Assistant is accompanying an attendee with a sponsor ticket, the Personal Assistant ticket can be used to accompany the attendee in the exercise of their sponsor ticket benefits, such as priority entry. If the Personal Assistant wishes to avail of other benefits, or use the benefits independent of the attendee they are supporting, they must purchase their own sponsor ticket.

In the case of children aged 13 and under who require extra support, the Personal Assistant ticket is intended to supplement, not replace, the role of the accompanying paying adult that we require for all children aged 13 and under. Personal Assistant tickets for children aged 13 and under will normally only be provided where at least one adult ticket has been purchased in addition to the child ticket.

We normally limit the number of Personal Assistant tickets to one per paying attendee. Requests for multiple Personal Assistant tickets will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Our terms and conditions include a section on personal assistant tickets. Personal Assistants must abide by all of the same rules as any other attendee.

Venue accessibility guide

You may find the AccessAble accessibility guide for the Newton building helpful. We use rooms on Level 0 and Level 1, Forum levels 0 and 1, and Central Court and Gallery.

We do not have our own venue accessibility guide available at this time. If you have any questions about the venue’s accessibility, please email us at accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk and we will answer your questions.

Any further questions?

Please contact us by emailing accessibility@ukponycon.co.uk if you have any questions or concerns and we’ll do our best to support you.