Access report

*Note* Balloons are not allowed in public spaces at BiCon due to an attendee with a phobia.

For more information

If you can’t find what you need in this report or you prefer answers in a different format please 2019@bicon.org.uk and we will do our best to answer.

Please be aware that there is some information missing from the access report, we have flagged this in the report itself and will update as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

For other information regarding the physical accessibility of our venue, you can visit AccessAble. The locations on campus we will be using are the Management School and Charles Carter for workshops, Cartmel for our accommodation and evening entertainment.

BiCon 2019 is at Lancaster University

    • Accommodation is in Cartmel College.
    • Daytime sessions are in the Charles Carter and Management School buildings.
    • Evening entertainment and crèche are in Barker House Farm.
    • Shops and amenities are in Alexandra Square. There is a co-op convenience shop in the building on the other side of the Charles Carter building from the management school.
    • There is a gym with a swimming pool, a trim trail, and a woodland walk
    • There is a slope between the accommodation and the session spaces. The route has dropped kerbs/is step-free.

Routes

    • The walk from the accommodation (Cartmel College) to the day time session space (Management School building) is approximately 0.5km (0.3miles), we took seven minutes to walk it. There is a slope, Google Maps estimates this as increasing by 30 feet.
    • Some sessions will be in the Charles Carter building, which is approximately 80 metres (260 feet) from the Management School. We took one minute to get there from the Management School Building.
    • The walk from the accommodation to the evening entertainment space (Barker House) is approximately 85 metres (280 feet), we took one minute to walk it. This is also where the crèche is.
    • The route from the accessible accommodation to the step-free access is sloped both in the direction of the route and across the path.
    • The walk from the session space to the shops and amenities (Alexandra Square) is approximately 0.3km (0.2 miles) and took us four minutes to walk.
    • You can see a video of these routes here.
    • The sports centre is on the main entrance into campus, 0.8km (0.5 miles) from Alexandra Square and is down a steep hill.
    • The trim trail is 700m long, and features eleven outdoor equipment zones. This is featured on a steep hill.
    • The woodland walk goes all round the outside of the campus, 2.6 miles in total.

Parking

Onsite parking is available close to the accommodation and session space. It is free of charge during evenings and weekends. Cartmel South Avenue has spaces very close to the accommodation and we request that only blue badge holders and those with mobility access needs use Cartmel South Avenue. All other attendees can use the large car park adjacent to Cartmel South Avenue.

On weekdays a charge applies during the daytime hours. Charge is £5 for the whole day or £3 for 2 hours. Scratchcards for parking will be available to buy from the BiCon desk.

For some attendees, travelling from the accommodation to workshops may prove to be inaccessible. In this instance, it is possible to drive from the accommodation to car park G at the Management School. There is accessible parking at both locations. This is free on Saturday and Sunday, and at all times for those with a blue badge. If you do not have your own transport, you can order a taxi from accommodation to workshops and vice versa which we will reimburse. Visit the desk on Sunday to do this.

BiCon will be organising a taxi to get attendees from workshops back to the accommodation if required. Attendees will need to organise their own taxi from the accommodation to the workshops. Both will be paid for by BiCon.

Our accommodation: Cartmel College

Cartmel College is a set of accommodation blocks which are set near Barker House Farm (where evening entertainment and the creche is held). The accommodation is divided into flats. All BiCon flats will be for BiCon attenders only. Some other flats will be occupied by non-BiCon people such as Summer Schools. The only other group currently booked is due to arrive on Sunday as we are leaving.

    • Most of the flats are above the ground floor.
    • All flats can be reached by stairs.
    • The blocks are a maximum of three floors high.
    • One block, with the accessible rooms, has a lift.
    • All rooms are en-suite. They are wet-room style shower rooms with no step/
    • There is a slight lip between the carpet of the room and the lino in the en-suite. We will upload a picture of this soon.
    • Bedrooms are arranged in flats of 8 with a shared kitchen/living room. Pictures to be uploaded soon.
    • Sheets and towels are provided, but kitchen items like plates, cutlery, pots etc. are not. We are enquiring to see if this can be rectified.
    • Sheets will be on the beds, not provided in packs.

There is a laundrette open throughout the day and locked in the evening from 11pm. A wash costs £2.40, with a tumble dry costing a further £1.20 for 45 minutes in the dryers. To use the laundrettes you need a card, which are available in each laundrette. You need to keep this card and follow the instructions on the Circuit website to obtain credit.

Accessible Rooms

The measurements for this room are as follows:

    • Length – 12’ (including bed)
    • Width – 5’9”
    • Access space between wall and bed – 2’9”
    • Bedroom door – 2’8”

All doors (except bathroom door) are fire doors and are therefore heavy. None of the doors atomically open.

The ensuite bathrooms in these rooms include a shower chair, rails on toilet and sink and a red emergency cord. Pictures below.

The measurements for the ensuite are as follows:

    • Door – 3’
    • Width – 7’3”
    • Length – 6’8”

There is a slight ridge in the door way between the bedroom and the bathroom, it should not cause any issues but please contact the team If you feel it will.

The kitchens in these flats have adapted kitchen worktops and appliances.

Safety

Security is onsite at all times. They are based in the security lodge at the corner of Bowland Avenue and the loop road. There is accommodation security, they use the porters lodge at Barker House farm, and at Lonsdale college quad. They will all have been briefed and given our code of conduct before our event.

Families

Children of any age are allowed to share a room and a bed with their responsible adult. There are rooms available for people wanting to bring cots. They are on the north campus, away from the rest of our accommodation.

You can also book a separate room for your child. Please contact us if you want to do this.

Management School

Entrance located at the front of the building:

    • There is ramped/sloped access at this entrance.
    • There is not a bell/buzzer.
    • There is not an intercom.
    • There is a canopy or recess which provides weather protection at this entrance.
    • The main door(s) open(s) automatically.
    • The door(s) is/are double.
    • The width of the door opening is 212cm (6ft 11in).

The BiCon desk will be in the entrance hall of the Management School Building.

The BiCon desk will be in the lounge area on the ground floor. The lounge is an open plan area. The ceiling is three floors high, the floor is carpeted. There are fixed soft bench seats and laminate seats without arms. There is ample room for a wheelchair user to manoeuvre.

BiCon sessions in this building will take place in lecture theatres. Lecture theatre 1 is accessed by stairs, or by the lift from the raised area in the entrance hall. The others are accessed by stairs or lift in the corridor off the entrance hall.

We have two rooms on floor B and two rooms on floor C. The lift is only big enough for one chair user at a time, please use the stairs if you can. If using the lift or stairs nearer to the entrance there is a short waist-high glass and rail-sided bridge to get to the corridor with the rooms we are using here. There is an open spiral staircase at the other end of the corridor. A video of this area will be uploaded soon.

Charles Carter Building

Some sessions will be run in the Charles Carter building. The five rooms we are using here are on the ground floor, on the right of the entrance hall.

Entrance located at the front of the building:

    • There is ramped/sloped access at this entrance.
    • There is not a bell/buzzer.
    • There is not an intercom.
    • There is a canopy or recess which provides weather protection at this entrance.
    • The main door(s) open(s) automatically.
    • The door(s) is/are double.
    • The width of the door opening is 212cm (6ft 11in).

We will be marking some seats in each room as reserved for people with access needs. These will include some seats at the front and some near the door.

Our Evening Event Space: Barker House Farm

There are two entrances to Barker House farm, diagonally opposite each other. One has stepped access, the other has a sloped approach. There are double sets of doors at both. The doors are quite heavy and not automatic. There is a push button door at the entrance with sloped access.

Barker House farm is three old buildings linked by a modern roofed area. Entrance is through the modern area (known as the JCR or junior common room), it has a high ceiling, and sofas. At one end is the Brandrigg room, which will be the crèche during the day and a quiet room in the evenings. At the other end is the Winning Post bar and café. Food will be available here. The menu will be uploaded soon. Between these buildings is the original farm house the building is named for. It will not be open while we are here.

You can see a video of this area here.

The Winning Post bar and cafe

The bar at Barker House Farm will be serving a basic selection of food during the day. We will ask the venue to provide extra vegetarian, vegan and gluten free food and to make sure food ingredients are clearly marked. We will add the opening hours for food to our website when we know them.

Both the bar and the JCR have mixed seating including seats without arms, sofas, and some fixed seating.

Through the bar is the dining room. We intend to put the disco here so there is a flow from loud to quiet spaces.

There are no steps between these spaces. There is a step free slope down to the toilets.