Irwin Mitchell Sponsors Chase Park Festival

An aspiring Sunderland rock musician says he is “over the moon” after winning tickets to meet one of his favourite bands at the Chase Park Festival this weekend.
 
Law firm Irwin Mitchell which sponsors the event ran a social media competition to win festival tickets as well as a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet Irish punk rockers Ash, who are headlining on Saturday 8 August at Chase Park, Whickham. 
 
Andy Duncan, 36, from Sunderland, grew up listening to Ash and actually met his girlfriend while discussing the band’s music in a local recording studio. He currently plays drums in his own band Loudmouth and says Ash covers were among the first songs he played.
 
Andy, who works as an ICT analyst, said: “I’m over the moon to have won. In addition to playing covers of Ash songs in some of the first local bands I was in, many years ago, it’s been 19 years this week since meeting my girlfriend at a local recording studio. We connected over our liking of Ash, it was one of the first things we talked about. I’ll be taking her to the festival and to meet the band.
 
“I think their catchy tunes and punk rock attitude is what initially appealed to me about Ash, that and the fact they were, and still are, writing such great lyrics. Some of this great material wrote while they were still at school!
 
“I'm not sure if it’s the fact that I'm of a similar age to the members of the band and was playing in bands myself at a young age but there is a connection to their music.”

Chase Park Festival, run by healthcare and rehabilitation specialists Keiro, is a family-friendly open-air festival which specialises in providing access facilities for deaf and disabled audiences, artists and volunteers.
 
The festival has been awarded the Gold level of Attitude is Everything’s Charter of Best Practice due to its specialist support and inclusivity, making it only the third festival alongside Glastonbury and Liberty Festival to achieve the standard.
 
John Davis, a specialist serious injury lawyer and managing partner for Irwin Mitchell in the North East, said: 

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's Access All Areas campaign to promote disability access at festivals and venues across the UK.