PENRITH SINGERS - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY

1. Penrith Singers are committed to ensuring equal opportunities in access to membership of the choir, and for their audiences.

2. St. Andrew's Church, Penrith is the only suitable venue in the town for our main concerts. Although it does not at present comply with the access requirement of the Disability Discrimination Act, the church authorities have a firm intention to bring it up to an appropriate standard (including fire precautions), taking account of its status as a Grade 1 listed building.

3. We are willing to provide printed material such as programmes in accessible formats on request.

4. We offer concessions to people less likely to be able to afford full ticket prices, and also in subscriptions.

5. A formal audition is necessary to ensure that potential members are able to participate in our kind of music, but the audition process is carefully designed to avoid its being an inappropriate barrier to membership. People being auditioned have already spent some time singing with us, and so are well known. It is our policy that each prospective new member be supported by a committee member or other appointed member who will explain how things work, and get to know them before auditions take place. The audition process is simple and straightforward.

6. In recruiting new members we use not only word of mouth amongst members, but open advertising in the season leaflet and in the local press. Auditions themselves are by a small panel of members and everyone is auditioned in the same way.

This policy was agreed at the Annual General Meeting in September 2007 and will be reviewed in 2010.