People supported by Creative Support in Halifax and Blackburn received guest list tickets to Annie Mac’s daytime rave at the Piece Hall.

‘Before Midnight’ is a series of daytime DJ sets hosted by BBC Radio DJ Annie Mac, providing a safe and inclusive space for people to enjoy dance music.

Sarah Nataraj, Team Leader at Creative Support’s Blackburn Social Inclusion Service, heard about the accessible event and messaged Annie Mac on Instagram, explaining that the people she supports would love to attend a rave in a safe space. Annie responded straight away, putting her in touch with her team who arranged 16 free tickets for service users and staff in Blackburn and Halifax.

Sarah said: “One of the people I support, Tom*, expressed his interest in raving. He’s in his 60s and loves Clubland and connecting with the community. Annie and her team were so considerate of our needs, arranging for us to have a quiet private balcony to enjoy the event. In the end, we didn’t need it as there was lots of space and our group was able to dance in the back.”

placeholder image — Everyone having fun at the event

The Blackburn Social Inclusion service is part of Creative Support, a national care provider for adults with support needs. The service supports adults with mental health needs to integrate into their local community. Service users also attended from Creative Support’s Halifax service, which supports adults with a learning disability.

Tom* said: “Everybody was in good spirits and we all had a wonderful time.”

Kelly* from Blackburn said: “I enjoyed the whole experience, it was great to let my hair down and boogie with friends.”

Chris* from Halifax said: “I enjoyed the atmosphere and I was happy to meet with other people from different services and have a nice time together.”

Summing up the experience, Sarah said: “Thank you to Annie Mac for arranging this for the people we support. It was very therapeutic and healing for everyone to be out in the community.”

* Names have been changed