Charity worker sues for discrimination after being denied time off for music festival

A charity worker sued for discrimination because she was not given time off work to attend a music festival.

Sarah Sadler alleged that she was discriminated against when bosses rejected her annual leave request to attend 2000 Trees Festival at Upcote Farm in Withington.

At an employment tribunal, Ms Sadler argued that the festival was of "spiritual significance" to her.

She said that she holds a "protected philosophical belief" that attending a music festival promotes "human flourishing".

The 49-year-old, who was a marketing executive for a charity at the time, said that she has a "genuine belief in the importance of community, mutual support, authenticity, inclusion and shared responsibility" and that festivals create such environments.

Her employer Arthouse Unlimited, which supports disabled people, told Ms Sadler that she could not have annual leave to attend 2000 Trees Festival because they could not find cover.

An employment tribunal has now dismissed her case, with a judge saying that her belief was not protected by equality laws and that it was more akin to a "lifestyle choice".

Ms Sadler, a cancer survivor from Surrey, also brought claims of disability discrimination related to how she was treated after emergency surgery but lost that claim too.

Reading Employment Tribunal, Berks, heard that Ms Sadler started working at Arthouse Unlimited in June 2023 as the marketing executive. She was dismissed in June 2024.

Arthouse Unlimited is a charity that supports adults with disabilities to create artwork, which is developed into commercial products for sale.

When she was working for the charity, they were aware that she had previously had stage three bowel cancer, where she underwent major bowel surgery followed by chemotherapy, and she suffered from PTSD.

In December 2023, Ms Sadler asked to have annual leave booked in for three days in July the following year to go to the 2000 Trees festival, a rock music festival in Gloucestershire.

The 2024 line-up included the bands Don Broco, The Gaslight Anthem, and Bob Vylan.

Ms Sadler was told by Camilla Capel that she would not be able to take those days off because she was already taking several lengthy periods of leave and, as they were a small team, they would not be able to secure cover for those dates.

Ms Sadler said that the festival was of "spiritual significance" to her and that the company not allowing her to take those days off would make her think of finding a new job.

At the tribunal, Ms Sadler said she holds a philosophical belief based on the festival.

The tribunal heard: "[Ms Sadler] states that she holds a genuine belief in the importance of community, mutual support, authenticity, inclusion and shared responsibility.

"She believes that people flourish when they can participate in communities that value cooperation, creativity, equality and acceptance of difference.

"[Ms Sadler] actively seeks out communities that reflect those values.

"Music and arts festivals are one means by which those beliefs find expression, but they are not the beliefs themselves.

"[Ms Sadler's] attendance at the same annual festival over many years represents a significant and continuing manifestation of those beliefs in practice.

"[Ms Sadler] and her family’s attendance at the 2000 Trees Festival was therefore an expression of those beliefs and values."

The tribunal was told that in January 2024, Ms Sadler underwent emergency gallbladder surgery, and she was off work until the following month because she had a "flu-like" illness afterwards.

She alleged that she was pressured to return to work as soon as possible and not supported when she wanted to work from home. However, the tribunal dismissed those allegations.

In February 2024, Ms Sadler complained about not being allowed time off for the festival.

In an email to her bosses, she wrote: "It is with deep regret that if you cannot allow me 3 days – 10th/11th/12th July with 7 months notice, that I will have to start the process of seeking employment elsewhere.

"To deny a leave request for a festival as referred to in the correspondence could be considered to be indirect discrimination and prejudicial.

"The festival is an annual gathering which is of deep cultural significance to me. (Equality Act 2010)"

She raised an unsuccessful formal grievance over the issue and how she was treated after her surgery.

She told the charity she wanted a "financial settlement", which was refused, and she was fired after she did not turn up to a meeting to discuss how to move forward.

Employment Judge Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto dismissed Ms Sadler's claim that she had a protected philosophical belief.

He said: "[Ms Sadler] seeks to advance a belief about human flourishing, namely that people flourish through participation in enduring communities characterised by inclusion, reciprocity, creativity and mutual responsibility.

"[She] presents this proposition as a guiding principle by which [she] seeks to live rather than as a mere opinion.

"However, the evidence relied upon to demonstrate that belief centres almost entirely upon attendance at a festival and participation in a particular socialcommunity.

"The evidence demonstrates that [Ms Sadler] values, and repeatedly participates in, that community and the activities associated with it.

"That, without more, does not necessarily establish the existence of a protected philosophical belief.

"In my view, the evidence does not sufficiently identify a belief independent of [her] participation in that community.

"Rather, it describes a lifestyle choice and a strong attachment to a particular community."

Judge Gumbiti-Zimuto added that her being refused holiday "had nothing to do with her philosophical belief" and that it was an "operational" decision.

Ms Sadler lost claims of philosophical belief discrimination, disability discrimination, and victimisation.

Speaking after the tribunal, Ms Sadler said that she was "extremely upset" when she was denied time off to go to the festival.

She said: "2000 Trees has been part of my life and my family's life for many years. The importance of it to me is bound up with community, continuity, identity and belonging.

"What was particularly difficult was feeling that the significance it had for me wasn't understood. The case was never about believing that everyone should automatically be entitled to particular festival dates off work.

"It was about the significance of these gatherings to me and the way my request and beliefs were treated. For me, these longstanding festival communities represent something much deeper than entertainment.

"They are places of community and belonging where people come together around shared values, music, creativity and mutual support.

"They have provided continuity through some extremely difficult periods of my life, including cancer and its aftermath, and they are particularly important to my family. They are places where I feel able to be myself and connected to a community.

"That is why I described this as a philosophical belief rather than simply saying that I really like going to festivals."

Ms Sadler said that after her surgery she has wanted to return to work but it became "increasingly stressful" for her.

Talking about the tribunal, she said: "I was extremely disappointed by the judgement and I do not believe that it fully reflects the case I presented or some of the evidence that emerged during the hearing.

"What I can say is that bringing an Employment Tribunal claim as a disabled litigant in person has been an extraordinarily demanding experience.

"Whatever ultimately happens legally, I hope there can be some useful discussion about how disabled employees asking for flexibility and reasonable adjustments are supported at work, and about how accessible the Tribunal process itself is for disabled people representing themselves."

Ms Sadler runs her own business, Integra Baby, a British baby-carrier brand.