A 60-year-old man with cerebral palsy joined the throngs of festival goers this summer by attending an outdoor music event in Romsey.

The man, Simon Pugsley, is a resident of Roman House care home in Basingstoke.

During a conversation with his carers about what they missed most during COVID, Simon explained that he’d never been to a music festival before but had always wanted to attend one.

Carers Ashleigh Young and Kirstie Hill worked with him to find an accessible festival he wanted to attend, and they booked the tickets for a day visit to the Legends Festival, which is the world’s biggest tribute show.

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Simon particularly enjoyed the performances from Nya King, who appeared as Whitney Houston, and UK Queen.

The festival was fully accessible, meaning that, although Simon attended with the two carers, he was able to have independence while there.

Ashleigh Young said: “Simon had never been to a festival before because he didn’t think they would be accessible, but once he said he wanted to go, Kirstie and I were on it, and we found the perfect one for him.

“He was so excited that he told us he couldn’t sleep, which was brilliant.

“Simon is very independent, but he really enjoyed spending quality time with us. I drove our unit van to Romsey from Basingstoke, and we had a great time together.

“We even lost him in the crowd when he took himself right up to the front of the stage dancing and singing.

“He’s now talking about the next festival he’s going to attend; maybe the Isle of Wight or even Glastonbury!”

Simon Pugsley said: "I had an amazing time and look forward to going to bigger and better festivals in the future."

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Roman House is part of Ambito Care and Education, which is part of Salutem Care and Education.

The Legends Festival is currently on tour and will stop at many places around the UK including Shoreham-By-Sea, Swindon, and Coventry.

The festival was in Romsey on June 24 – July 25.

The festival features several tribute acts covering musicians such as The Beatles, Kylie Minogue, ABBA, and Robbie Williams.

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