Introducing our Inclusion and Accessibility Coordinator – Simone Gilliatt
Background
Get A Word In Edgeways is running a National Lottery Arts Council – funded project, Forging Links. Its purpose is to Forge Links with neighbouring Wolverhampton, Telford, and South Shropshire for a Forging Links Festival in 2024. This festival intends to bring our communities together, and celebrate our diversity & shared geographical heritage. Part of Forging Links is accessibility and inclusion, and relates to everything we do prior to, during and after 2024.
Through pre festival engagement activities of poetry, spoken word, writing, comedy & storytelling we will build on our relationship with local rural schools & develop relationships with schools in Telford & Wolverhampton & also community groups with a particular focus on young people, families & children.
Simone Gilliatt
Simone is our point of contact for access, diversity and inclusion needs and queries for Forging Links and Get A Word In Edgeways Festival. Simone’s task is to develop links with disability & diversity organisations.
As a co-creator of the original GAWIE festival 2022, Simone is keen to support and promote the voices and bodies of those that may have been marginalised or overlooked in performance and audience spaces.
Simone will be working to coordinate clear information on venue access and support, programming performers from eclectic backgrounds and working to invite people who would not usually have access to word facilitation and sharing to join us in our love of the diverse array of interactions our words can bring.
Simone also has an adorable little dog!
Simone is in addition to three regional Engagement Coordinators for Forging Links and we will be introducing all of them to you very soon! The Engagement Organisers will be engaging with communities in Wolverhampton, Telford, and South Shropshire.
