Festival apology after dad is refused tickets to accompany his disabled son

'MISUNDERSTANDING' SAY SPLENDOUR ORGANISERS

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

THE organisers of Splendour have apologised after a Nottingham dad was refused a ticket to accompany his severely disabled son to the music festival.

Tom Jepson, 43, is a full-time carer for his 16-year-old son Noah, who uses a wheelchair and is unable to talk due to a rare genetic brain disorder.

The family, from St Ann’s, are able to regularly attend concerts with companion tickets - free and discounted entry for those accompanying the person who purchased the original ticket.

The law states venues and event organisers should offer companion tickets when the original attendee would be unable to attend by themselves due to their disabilities.

Noah lives with a condition known as BPAN - beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration - meaning is he unable to do many activities independently.

Yet, when Mr Jepson got in touch with the organisers of Splendour to ask about companion tickets for the upcoming festival, he was told the family could not be given them due to Noah's age.