Frequently Asked Questions

Visiting The Point

I’ve never been to The Point before – what can I expect?

Everyone is welcome to visit The Point and enjoy all the wonderful facilities our venue has to offer. When you arrive, head straight through the building to find the Gallery, café and toilets. If you need to ask any questions or need directions, a member of the front of house team won’t be far away – either someone will be in the office at the top of the steps, or they’ll return shortly and will be happy to help. The Point is an accessible building, with lifts, disabled toilets and a Changing Places toilet, with changing table and hoist.

Once inside, you’ll find welcoming spaces where you can relax and much more!

Welcome Space

The Point is a welcome space – everyone is welcome to visit our inspiring building and use the seating areas, visit the cafe, use the free Wi-Fi, whether or not you are attending a group or event. There are signs around the building with the Wi-Fi code on, or you can ask a member of staff. Why not come and do your homework here or meet a friend? We also have free creative resources for you to do whilst in the building or to take home. Find out more about Warm and Welcome Spaces here.

What is parking like at The Point? Do you have disabled parking?

Head to our Visit page which shows the available parking around The Point with information on prices. You can also find similar information on disabled parking.

We have one disabled parking spot available in our car park for people with a Blue Badge, which will need to be booked in advance of your visit. Call 01302 341662 or email hello@thepoint.org.uk to book. Please park motorised scooters in the car park at the rear of the building (you can enter through our car park on Chequer Road and ring the buzzer for access).

When we open on Saturdays, more parking spaces are available in our car park off Chequer Road – do get in touch for details.

Can I bring my dog?

Access dogs and Support dogs are welcome and the café can provide water on request.

Can I smoke?

Smoking or vaping is not permitted inside the building or in the courtyard area. There is a space allocated just outside the back door in the car park.

Can I bring my own food?

We have a lovely café at The Point selling a range of fresh food and drinks at competitive prices. We can fill water bottles and provide free water and high chairs. We are breastfeeding friendly. Although we do discourage you from eating your own food in the café areas, we can support access needs where you need to bring your own food  e.g. children who may have sensory issues around food, need peg feeding etc. If you are attending sessions with children and young people, and would prefer to bring your own food, you are welcome to sit in our Glazed Link, Courtyard or Garden areas.

Access

What are your levels of access?

The Point is fully accessible. We have lifts to every floor, disabled toilets and a Changing Places facility with full sized changing bed, adjustable sink, toilet and hoist. We also have baby-changing facilities, and we are Breastfeeding Friendly, Dementia Friendly and Makaton Friendly. You do not need a radar key for the accessible toilets. Just ask a member of staff if you would like a pass for the Changing Places facility.

We do our best to make our building and workshops as accessible and inclusive as possible, but if you have any feedback or ideas for improvement, please do let us know hello@thepoint.org.uk.

All gender toilets

We have an accessible all gender toilet near the café on the ground floor.

Parking for mobility scooters, wheelchairs and pushchairs

There is space near the café (under the stairs) to park mobility scooters, wheelchairs and pushchairs. For safety reasons, we ask those with mobility scooters to access The Point via the rear car park on Chequer Road and park your scooter in the car park at the rear of the building. Just come to the car park gate and ring the buzzer for front of house staff to let you in.

For sessions with very young children, we have space available for buggies to be stored during the session, please ask one of our team to show you when you arrive. Please take all personal items off your buggy and bring them with you into the workshop space. Wheelchairs and sleeping babies in buggies are welcome in the room.

Companions, carers and support workers

You are welcome to attend our sessions with support. If you are unsure – please do speak to us!

Safeguarding

We take safeguarding of our participants and visitors seriously. You can read our Safeguarding Policy here, or download it at the top of the page.

Workshops

My child is coming to one of your sessions – can I bring their sibling(s) too? Can they join in?

Yes, you are welcome to do so.  You’ll need to book a place for the sibling so we know how many people to expect. If you have any worries at all, just give us a ring on 01302 341662 or email hello@thepoint.org.uk

How do I cancel a place(s) I’ve booked for a session via Eventbrite?

Most of the time, you can just turn up on the day, or you can book ahead via Eventbrite. If you have booked ahead and are unable to attend,  do let us know as soon as possible by telephoning The Point on 01302 341662 or emailing hello@thepoint.org.uk and let us know how many places you are cancelling so we can release tickets for those on the waiting list. If there is a cost for the session, we cannot offer refunds once you have paid on Eventbrite.

If you have any other questions about Eventbrite, please read this Eventbrite guide. If you need further support with Eventbrite, please contact Sophie on sophie@wearedarts.org.uk

How much will it cost?

Entrance to The Point and our exhibitions in the Gallery are always free of charge. Some groups are free to attend and some have a low cost, or we ask for a donation. darts is a registered charity and everything we do is made possible through fundraising or individual donations – you can support us by using our ‘Tap to Donate’ box outside the gallery, dropping some cash into the donations box in the gallery or donating online here. Every donation helps – thank you!

Do I as a parent/carer join in? Do I leave/stay?

In our family sessions, we ask that a parent/carer to stay for the full session. We run the sessions so that everyone gets stuck in together.

Sessions for young people of secondary school age (11+) do not normally require a parent to stay. If your child requires additional support, including personal care needs, a parent or carer will need to stay in session to support your child directly. If you are unsure, just ask us – we are very flexible and want to make sure everyone has a positive experience!

If my child is non-verbal or may find a specific aspect of a workshop difficult, can they still join in?

We work hard to ensure that our sessions are as accessible and inclusive as possible. There are no required standards of participation in any of our workshops – the focus is on doing as much as you want or can do. We also use Makaton signing in a lot of our sessions to help with communication. If you have any questions, please do phone and talk it through with us. Our artists are very experienced in supporting all participants to engage in our workshops. There are a range of spaces if a child needs to come out of the session for a while for some quiet time.

Is there going to be a break in the session?

It depends on the length of the session- for sessions over an hour there will usually be a break. If a session runs over lunch, lunch and supervision will not be provided unless this is stated. Do ask if you are unsure and we totally understand if a child needs to take a break within a session if they are finding it loud or over-stimulating.

Will there be loud noises?

Some of our sessions can get pretty noisy, especially the music ones! If you need more information about whether the content of a workshop is suitable for your child, please just give us a call. We have sets of ear defenders that children can use on request.

How many people will there be in the room?

Session sizes vary. Usually there will be up to 15 children/young people in a group. However, depending on the content of the session and the needs of the group, this might be smaller or much larger. Our accessible sessions for children/young people with disabilities are usually capped at 10, plus parents/carers. At the other end of the scale our choir sessions sometimes have up to 50 participants in.

Is the session suitable for my child’s specific needs?

Sometimes it is easier for us to chat through the structure and content of workshop sessions with you directly and then you and your child can decide together if you think it will be suitable. In the first instance contact our reception team and if they don’t know the detail of the session, they’ll be able to get hold of one of our project team to get back to you.

Will there be refreshments?

We don’t usually provide refreshments – we’d advise that you send a water bottle with your child, and we will specify if they need a packed lunch providing. We have a competitively priced cafe with lovely food and drinks on offer.

Is there a quiet space to go to if necessary?

Yes, we have chill out spaces if your child needs a break. There are quieter spaces in the gallery, garden and in ‘Story’, which our staff can direct you to.

Group, club and school visits

We are delighted when groups and classes visit our building. There are lots of opportunities for self-facilitated or artist-led visits, particularly in our gallery space. Do contact us before coming so that we can ensure you have the best experience possible – 01302 341662 or hello@thepoint.org.uk You can find out more about opportunities for schools and teachers here.

If you want to get in touch with us, you can ring our Reception team on 01302 341662, or email hello@thepoint.org.uk.

We’ve got Child Friendly Status!