The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre has recently achieved Autism NI’s Impact Award for another three years, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to inclusion for autistic and neurodivergent customers and employees.

The cultural and entertainment hub in Armagh achieved their initial Award in 2020, and recently completed their reaccreditation, to continue their commitment to inclusive services for all.

Autism NI’s Director of Development, Christine Kearney said “We are delighted that The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre has completed their Impact Award reaccreditation. The training and step-by-step support provided helps organisations to create meaningful and lasting change for autistic people who use the service.

By achieving the Award and continuing their journey of inclusion with us, The Market Place Theatre clearly demonstrates their ongoing dedication to creating an inclusive environment for all customers and employees. It is fantastic to work with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council to help them play their part in building an inclusive society.”

The Market Place Theatre’s Marketing & Customer Service Manager, Lynn Crooks said “We are delighted to achieve the Impact Award reaccreditation and be able to continue offering an accessible service for autistic people across our Council Borough and beyond.

Our staff want to ensure that all visitors can have a positive and welcoming experience, and the Impact Award training has really built their confidence to provide this. We offer a range of different supports for autistic and neurodivergent customers, including relaxed performances and autism friendly screenings across our programmes, the introduction of sensory packs, pre visit information, and a quiet room available to support people to engage in their visit in the way that works best for them.’

Autism NI work alongside autistic people and their families, and build partnerships that champion better understanding, accessibility, and services for our autism community. The Impact Award is available for a range of organisations, to build their inclusive approach for clients, customers and employees.

A visual story designed for visitors to The Market Place Theatre to help prepare you if you are curious or anxious about your visit, is available here: Generic Visual Story 2021

Should you have any comments or suggestions on our support to individuals with Autism and their families, please do not hesitate to contact us at feedback@marketplacearmagh.com

The Market Place Theatre in Armagh has retained the coveted Customer Service Excellence accreditation for 2023/2024, following an annual review.

The CSE standard provides a practical tool for driving customer-focused change within businesses. It shows that the services provided are efficient, effective, excellent, equitable and empowering – with the customer always at the heart of service provision.

The standard tests in great depth, those areas that research has indicated are a priority for customers, with particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude. There is also emphasis placed on developing customer insight, understanding the user’s experience and robust measurement of service satisfaction.

The assessment highlighted an improvement in performance from last year, with the team increasing the ‘Compliance Plus’ status across a number of the criteria, evidencing areas in which the theatre would be viewed as exceptional or as exemplar to others.