Access Ambassador Programme

Eye-level view of two women performing the circus act Look Mum, No Hands outdoors on stage in the Market Place in Mansfield at The Full Shebang Festival. One woman is in a bright ochre, jumpsuit. She is standing with her arms outstretched, her body slightly arched backward, and she is balanced on the shoulders of the second woman. She has bright red hair pulled back in a bun and a joyful expression. The second woman is seated in a wheelchair, wearing a royal blue dress and leggings. Her expression is also one of joyful engagement.

First Art works with disabled artists across all art forms. Image © Lamar Francois

Help champion inclusive arts and become an Access Ambassador

First Art’s Access Ambassador Programme is designed for those wanting to help make arts and culture more inclusive while gaining valuable skills and hands-on experience.

As an Access Ambassador, you’ll receive FREE accessibility and inclusion training to support your role at live events. The initial training will give you a good level of awareness that will prepare you to support people with a range of access needs at festivals and cultural activities across Mansfield, Ashfield, Bolsover, and North East Derbyshire.

Your first opportunity to apply your training will be at The Full Shebang Festival in Mansfield on Saturday 6 September 2025, with further event opportunities expected beyond this.

Applications have now closed for the current programme in-take. Future opportunities will be made available here.

Why sign up?

By becoming an Access Ambassador, you will:

Receive fully funded awareness training from a range of support organisations to get you started, with the scope for more in-depth training at a later stage;
Gain hands on practical event experience in real-world settings, starting with The Full Shebang Festival;
Be paid for your time, receiving £12.50 per hour, plus travel expenses for all training sessions and event support;
Build a stronger CV, with enhanced skills in communication, problem-solving, and public engagement;
Play a vital role in making arts and culture more inclusive;
Join a supportive and welcoming community and meet new people who care about inclusivity in the arts;
Have the chance to see some great outdoor arts in a variety of settings.

No previous experience is required—just enthusiasm and a commitment to making arts and culture accessible for everyone.

The image shows an Access Ambassador at The Full Shebang Festival. It is a young, fair-skinned woman with light brown hair pulled back from her face. She's wearing a bright yellow t-shirt that says "The Full Shebang Festival" in dark blue letters. Her dark gray trousers are cuffed at the ankles, showing her black Converse shoes. She's standing in a shopping centre, outside a shop with a terrazzo-like floor and marble-like walls, slightly angled away from the camera. Behind her, adjacent to the wall, is a large vibrant pink poster advertising "Festival Info Point."

The Access Ambassadors are a key part of First Art events, providing a friendly face for participants with access needs.

The Role of an Access Ambassador

You will be a friendly face, welcoming and supporting people with access needs at events.
Your first opportunity will be at The Full Shebang Festival in Mansfield on 6 September 2025, with more events to follow.
You’ll be trained up ahead of the first event and we’ll review this as your role progresses.
You’ll become part of a team of Access Ambassadors, on hand (with advance notice) to support at a variety of events in Mansfield, Ashfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire.
We’ll also work with you to help inform the planning of future events and activities, with post-event review meetings, providing additional training where there are gaps or areas to be developed.

The Access Ambassador Training Programme

To prepare you for your role, you’ll receive fully funded training between May and July 2025 (dates may shift a little depending on availability).

Training will take place between 9am – 5pm, Mondays – Fridays (except for The Full Shebang Festival on Saturday 6 September). You will also be paid for your time and travel expenses.

This will be a series of typically 1-2 hour sessions, both online and in person. These will cover the following topics:

Disability and Inclusion Awareness
D/deaf Awareness
Sight Loss Awareness
Learning Disability Awareness
Neurodivergence Awareness
Autism Awareness

Three people are sitting on a bench outdoors in Mansfield town centre at The Full Shebang Festival. Behind them is a bright pink flutter flag with the words The Full Shebang. The person on the far left is a woman with short, grey hair. She is wearing dark glasses, a black short-sleeved shirt, and bright pink capri-length trousers. A white cane rests against her leg, indicating she is visually impaired. She has a small device clipped onto her clothing allowing her to listen to the live audio description of the performance. The central figure is a man with short, light-brown hair, wearing a grey polo shirt and dark-colored trousers. He has a headset and microphone attached to his ears and is wearing a lanyard with a partially visible tag. His posture is upright, and he is gesturing with one hand, as he audio describes the performance the people are watching. The person on the far right is a man with short dark hair, wearing a heather gray polo shirt and white shorts. He is holding a smartphone to his face.

First Art is working to make the arts and culture as inclusive as possible, including having access provisions in place at events like audio description. The Access Ambassadors play an important role in supporting event participants with access needs. Image © Lamar Francois

Who Can Apply?

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Whether you have lived experience of disability, have supported someone with access needs, or are simply passionate about inclusivity, we would love to hear from you.

You will be a great fit if you are:

Aged 18+
Friendly, approachable, and eager to help others
Patient and able to communicate clearly and calmly
Comfortable interacting with the public
Able to commit to training, briefings, and event support in the lead up to The Full Shebang
Can commit to supporting future events, with appropriate advance notice and negotiation
Based in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire (although neighbouring counties may also be considered)

Desirable but not essential:

Lived experience, either as a disabled person or someone that has cared for/worked with disabled people, or similar
An understanding of access needs for a wide range of people
An enhanced DBS check (we can provide this if needed)
Access to your own transport

How to apply

Applications are now closed. If you’d like to find out more about future opportuntities please email kate@firstart.org.uk.