Specific requirements

Your graduation day is a very special end to your academic career, and we want to ensure that you have the best experience possible on this day.

What sort of specific requirements can we help with? 

We want to ensure that all graduates and their guests can fully participate in graduation ceremonies. We support thousands of students and guests each year with a variety of needs from social/ communication issues to visual and hearing impairments, chronic conditions and/ or mobility difficulties. 

We have an experienced and flexible staff team that can assist both prior to and during the ceremony in a variety of ways, including:

You

• check-in
• ticket collection
• collecting gowns and getting dressed into robes
• quiet areas, minimising crowds & queues
• photography
• processing into/around the Cathedral
• assistance during the ceremony

Your guests

• Cathedral admission
• minimising crowds & queues
• seating

How long are the ceremonies?

Ceremonies last approximately 90 minutes, though this depends on the size of the ceremony.

Guest carer tickets

If one of your guests requires the support of a professional carer or support worker to attend the ceremony, please get in touch with us via email as soon as possible.

Providing that you have signed up for the ceremony prior to the deadline, we will be able to provide carer tickets per guest requiring this support (dependent on the support required) and this will be free of charge.

Please note that we will ask for evidence of professional carer/support worker status, before issuing any additional carer/support worker tickets.

If we receive requests later than 3 weeks prior to the ceremony, we may not be able to confirm these requests

Are there blue badge parking facilities in the Cathedral grounds in Canterbury?

No, there is no accessible parking permitted within the Cathedral grounds during congregations. The nearest blue badge car parks are located in Iron Bar Lane, Orange Street and Queningate, all of which are a short distance away from the Cathedral.

Can my guests sit together?

We will do our best to seat your entire party in specific requirements, however we may ask that guest the guest with specific requirements and one other sit in the specific requirement seating. This will be communicated to you when you let us know about your requirements. 

This is so that we can accommodate other guests who may have specific requirements for that ceremony. 

Are there any accessible toilets?
Yes – immediately opposite the Cathedral (in the grounds) are some toilets which may be used by visitors at any point during the day, including during the ceremony.

Arriving

Are there blue badge parking facilities in the Cathedral grounds in Rochester?
No, there is no disabled parking permitted at the Cathedral for graduation ceremonies. The nearest available car parks are located below, all of which are a short distance away from the Cathedral. Guests are welcome to use any space within these car parks and simply display their blue badge.

1. Blue Boar Lane Car Park  Blue Boar Lane, Rochester, Kent ME1 1PD
2. Corporation Street Car Park Rochester Railway Station, Corporation Street, Rochester, Kent ME1 1NH
3. Kings Head Disabled Car Park Epaul Lane, Rochester, Kent ME1 1SN

Can my guests sit together?
We will do our best to seat your entire party in specific requirements, however we may ask that guest the guest with specific requirements and one other sit in the specific requirement seating. This will be communicated to you when you let us know about your requirements. 

This is so that we can accommodate other guests who may have specific requirements for that ceremony. 

Are there any accessible toilets?
Yes – there are accessible toilets in the Cathedral for use including during the ceremony, however if your guest/s require a bathroom before or after the ceremony, they are welcome to use the facilities at The Corn Exchange (where you will check-in, pick up your gown and collect your guest tickets).