Equal Opportunity Policy
No person shall receive less favourable treatment or consideration on the ground of race, colour, religion or belief, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, age, disability or marital status or be disadvantaged by any requirement or condition that cannot be justified. Any specific need should be made known to the Festival Administrator before the Festival. The festival’s complaints procedure is available to anyone who believes that he or she may have been unfairly discriminated against.
The opportunity for people to take part in the festival is provided through a wide variety of classes. All sessions of the festival are open to a public audience. The festival will only use venues that have made provision for people with physical disabilities.
The festival will keep under review its policy, procedures and practices on equal opportunities.
Child Protection Policy
The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech work for amateur festivals everywhere to help create thousands of educational performance opportunities for children and young people each year.
The Federation, and our member Festivals, are committed to ensuring safe environments for children and young people and believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind. We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to recommend best practice which protects them.
This policy applies to our Board of Trustees, paid staff, Adjudicator members, volunteers, students or anyone working on behalf of the Federation and our member Festivals.
Our Festival Child Protection Officer is Ann Talboys
Phone: 01484 665843
Our child protection and safe working practices policy documents are displayed throughout the festival
Data Protection Policy
Privacy Notice
At The Mrs Sunderland Festival we take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your involvement with the Festival. We will not pass your information to a third party’
Lawful Basis of Consent
Personal information is held by the Festival as it is necessary for the performance of a contract
Data Protection Officer
The festival’s data protection officer is the Festival Administrator; Ann Talboys
Retention period for held information
Information is held for two years and then deleted
Individual’s right to view data held
On personal written request held data will be made available within a maximum of 30 days from receipt of request
Individual’s right to have data corrected
Once we have been informed of any required data corrections the amendments will be made as promptly as is practicable
Individual’s right to have data deleted
On personal written request data will be deleted as promptly as is practicable, and confirmation of the deletion provided.
Complaints Policy
This procedure applies to all those involved with the festival, including entrants, volunteers, adjudicators and members of the audience, and is designed to establish the facts quickly and to settle the complaint fairly, consistently and speedily.
Any person with a complaint is requested to attempt informal resolution in the first instance by contacting a committee member as and when the complaint arises.
Should an informal resolution not be possible, then a complaint should be put in writing to the festival administrator, who will acknowledge receipt. The festival administrator will endeavour to establish the factual background to the complaint and will refer the complaint to a specially convened sub-committee for discussion. The festival administrator will notify the complainant in writing of the sub-committee’s decision.
Any appeal against the decision of the sub-committee should be made in writing, within 5 days of receipt of its decision, setting out the grounds of appeal. The festival administrator will acknowledge receipt of an appeal.
The festival administrator will refer the appeal to a meeting of the general committee for consideration. General committee members who sat on the specially convened sub-committee will not have a vote when the general committee determines the outcome of an appeal.
The festival administrator will notify the complainant in writing of the general committee’s decision.
