Disabled British punk band continues its quest for intellectually disabled people to be allowed to "Stay Up Late"

From Community Newswire in the UK:

Two learning disability charities and a punk band have teamed up to launch a campaign in Bedford raising awareness about the lack of flexible support for people with a learning disability.

Stay Up Late is a scheme that fights for the "right to party" for people with learning disabilities. Advocacy Alliance and Mencap, the two organisations behind the campaign, say the opportunity for people with a learning disability to have a good time is limited by support workers' shifts ending at 10pm. The Bedford campaign launches with a special band night at the Central Club in Harpur Street on Monday.

The band night will feature the cream of the local live scene, including former Bedford Battle of the Bands winners Amy and the Integrals and an acoustic set from Mat Roberts.

Stay Up Late was started by Heavy Load (pictured), a punk-rock band formed of musicians with and without a learning disability. The band have already starred in their own documentary, which has been shown on BBC3 and BBC4 earlier this year and has won awards in the UK and US. They started the campaign when they got fed up of people with a learning disability having to leave their gigs early.

The campaign calls for flexible support from care providers and for local authorities to make sure that people with a learning disability are provided with the right support so that they can stay up late and do the things they want to do.

Advocacy Alliance is organising the September 7 event, which is being supported by Bedford and District Mencap. Felicity Heseltine, from Advocacy Alliance, said: "People with a learning disability enjoy going to the pub and to gigs just like anyone else. Meeting up with friends and going out is an important part of life.

"It's not right that people with a learning disability don't get the same opportunity to stay up late as everyone else. They have the right to stay up late and have some fun."

Maddy Pugh, from Bedford and District Mencap, added: "The Stay Up Late campaign is about people with a learning disability having the choice to stay out late if they want to. It's no good having rigid shift patterns that end at 10pm if someone with a learning disability wants to stay out late at a gig or club."