Popular Perthshire sound and light show The Enchanted Forest will run autism-friendly performances for the first time this year.
Entitled Together and marking its return to Faskally Wood, the award-winning event is set to welcome over 80,000 visitors to the region.
Organisers were aware big, noisy queues, lots of people on site and crowds can be overwhelming for people with autism and can spoil the magical Enchanted Forest experience.
As the start date grows nearer, The Enchanted Forest Community Trust has now announced the introduction of autism-friendly performances on three nights in October.
These performances will take place at the start of designated show nights.
They will also allow visitors to be right at the start of the bus queues before any crowds have started to build up.
These sessions will have a smaller capacity than other show times so that less people are going out to the site, meaning they can avoid the hustle and bustle of a normal busy night at the Enchanted Forest.
Monique McArdle, event producer of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust and a mother of a child with autism, said: “We are absolutely over the moon to be returning to Faskally Wood this autumn and our team are working very hard to create a truly original experience where people, young and old, can set their imaginations alight.
“After such as tough couple of years, we wanted to be as inclusive as possible and enable as many people as possible to enjoy the event to the fullest.
“As a supporter of Scottish Autism in the past and with many customers who bring children who have autism, we felt that it was time to create a space for those who find the hustle and bustle of a normal Enchanted Forest night a challenge.
“As a mother of an autistic child, I truly understand what it is like, and I am delighted we’re incorporating autism friendly performances in this year’s event, which truly reflects the Together theme.”
The Enchanted Forest has long been a supporter of autism charities, with Scottish Autism being one of the official event charities in 2015, receiving a donation of £2500.
Charlene Tait, deputy CEO at Scottish Autism, added: “It is really welcome to see the team behind Scotland’s Enchanted Forest taking these steps.
“We work closely with a number of venues to ensure autistic people aren’t excluded from attending and enjoying performances and we call on more production companies to follow the lead.”
The move comes just a couple of years after the organisers introduced a special accessibility bus service for the event, designed to be used by visitors who have mobility difficulties, particular access needs, as well as disabled visitors.
This year’s Enchanted Forest will run from September 29 until October 30 at Faskally Wood near Pitlochry.
The Autism friendly departure times are: Wednesday, October 5 at 6pm and 6.15pm, Wednesday, October 12 at 5.45pm and 6pm and Wednesday, October 19 at 5.30pm and 5.45pm.
Tickets for the autism friendly performances are now on sale.
For more information visit www.enchantedforest.org.uk
