Dance Floor Intimacy are helping us build the most welcoming space

A key part of shaping Joy has been listening to the community who will use it. Dancefloor Intimacy, an accessibility consultancy specialising in reimagining cultural spaces, together with Open Door have been exploring what makes cultural venues welcoming – and what prevents people from taking part. 

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Through focus groups and community questionnaires, Disabled, Deaf, Neurodivergent, chronically ill, visually impaired, and learning-disabled participants shared their experiences and hopes for a space where everyone can feel safe, comfortable, and included. 

“A venue where nobody has to arrive with an explanation, and where expression, celebration, and belonging are available to all.”

Their insights have been transformed into clear design and operational recommendations – ensuring that accessibility isn’t an add-on, but the foundation of how Joy will look, feel, and function.

What is Joy, where is Joy and when’s it opening?

The findings point toward a powerful opportunity: to build a venue where nobody has to arrive with an explanation, and where expression, celebration, and belonging are available to all.

At a time when loneliness, mental health challenges, and limited cultural choice have shaped everyday life for many across Wirral and beyond, Joy has the potential to shift the landscape – offering connection, identity, opportunity, and pride.

This is just the beginning. Dancefloor Intimacy will present their full report at our event Stories of a Setting Sun on 27th February 2026 – RSVP here. The report shares the community voices, design principles, and recommendations guiding the project, and we can’t wait to see it come to life in Joy.

-RSVP to our special event at Bloom Building here–