Equal Opportunities Policy
LodeStar Events Ltd

1. Introduction and Core Commitment
LodeStar is a fully inclusive Equal Opportunities Organisation. We are committed to developing a working and creative culture that is fair, inclusive, and free from discrimination.
We ensure that no employee, job applicant, artist, volunteer, contractor, or customer receives less favourable treatment based on any Protected Characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.1.
These nine characteristics are:
Age
Disability
Gender Reassignment
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Pregnancy and Maternity
Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin)
Religion or Belief
Sex
Sexual Orientation
We also actively seek to eliminate discrimination based on socio-economic background, responsibility for dependants, health status, trade union membership, political activities, or spent criminal convictions.

2. General Statement of Application
This policy applies to all aspects of LodeStar’s operations, including full-time, part-time, temporary, freelance, and casual staff, as well as management, artists, hirers, and customers.
To ensure this policy remains effective:
Senior management will review this policy annually and update it in line with changes to UK employment law.
We gather and review annual statistics regarding our programming, recruitment, and event attendance to monitor our inclusivity.
Casual and department staff will hold regular feedback meetings to review on-site working conditions and practices.

3. Equality in Employment and Recruitment
Fair Selection: Our recruitment processes ensure that an applicant’s protected characteristics do not influence selection. All hiring decisions are based strictly on merit, qualification, and ability.
Disability and Reasonable Adjustments: We treat disabled applicants and staff fairly. We make proactive Reasonable Adjustments to interview arrangements, job roles, and working environments to ensure disabled individuals can fully participate and thrive without disadvantage.
Equal Pay: We ensure all staff are paid fairly according to the company pay structure and role responsibilities. We provide equal pay for equal work, with no direct or indirect discrimination. Salary scales are reviewed annually.Training and Promotion: All staff have equal access to training, development, and internal promotion opportunities. We monitor training take-up to prevent any imbalances.

4. Family and Leave Rights
LodeStar fully supports employees' family and domestic responsibilities:
Statutory leave and pay for Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, and Shared Parental Leave will be granted strictly in accordance with UK employment law.
Employees returning from family-related leave will return to their previous job or a suitable alternative that accommodates their needs.
We actively consider flexible or part-time working arrangements for all staff, recognising that domestic responsibilities apply equally to all genders.

5. Equality in Event Activities and Programming
Artistic Programming: LodeStar’s creative programme actively promotes diversity and addresses the cultural needs of a wide audience. Our overall programming strategy is formally reviewed every two years to ensure it aligns with our core inclusion values.
Targeted Marketing: Our marketing team builds an annual strategy to promote events to diverse groups—including families, students, young adults, and minority communities. We utilize accessible local networks, council channels, and libraries to distribute materials widely.
Audience Feedback: We conduct regular audience research and surveys to monitor the accessibility of our events and adapt our future plans based on the findings.

6. Breaches of the Policy:
Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
LodeStar takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying, or victimisation. We ensure that any complaints are handled seriously, quickly, and confidentially.
For Employees and Contractors:
Any worker who believes they have experienced or witnessed discrimination can raise a formal grievance using the LodeStar Grievance Procedure.
Any employee found to have breached this Equal Opportunities Policy, or found to have discriminated against a colleague, artist, or customer, will face disciplinary action. Under the LodeStar Disciplinary Procedure, acts of serious discrimination or harassment are treated as gross misconduct and may lead to immediate dismissal.
For Volunteers and Casual Staff: Volunteers and casual crew are expected to uphold these standards at all times. Breaches of this policy during an event will result in the immediate cancellation of your volunteer agreement and removal from the festival site.
For Customers, Artists, and Hirers:
We expect our visitors, performers, and venue hirers to treat everyone with respect. LodeStar reserves the right to refuse entry, cancel contracts, or remove any person from the festival fields who uses discriminatory language, displays abusive behaviour, or breaches the safety of others.
Protection from Retaliation:
No one will be victimised, treated less favourably, or disciplined for raising a genuine, good-faith complaint about discrimination or non-compliance with this policy.