Access Success Stories

Read about our projects and success stories where access adaptations have been made following our recommendations.

An Access Consultant's Viewpoint of Ripley Castle, North Yorkshire.

"Every effort has been made to achieve access to the Castle environment and facilities, from the car parking onwards. Within the courtyard adjoining the Tearooms are three identified disabled access car parking spaces, with a level route to the café, shops and Castle. As an ambulant disabled person, I found the stone flagged level footpaths and tarmac drive ideal for access to the cafe, food shop and fancy good shop, and wheelchair users would find the door widths and level entrances suitable.

The café has ample circulation space, and disabled access toilet facilities.The route to the Castle is through the fancy goods shop, where there is clear circulation between display units, and double doors that are held back, out of the rear of the shop into the courtyard of the Castle. Here electric scooters can also be hired.

In the rear lobby are standard and accessible toilets. Entrance into the castle is via a level paved porch, and huge entrance door. All tours are taken by a castle guide, with some parties (every hour or so) including a portable neck loop system to enable the hearing impaired visitor to hear what the guide is saying more clearly.

The tour route around the ground floor is all on a level, with ample circulation and door widths, but the first floor rooms are approached only via a wide staircase, that is a strong architectural feature. For anyone unable to negotiate these stairs, there is available a DVD of the tour which can be viewed on television or personal portable DVD players available for use. The guided tour is suitable for sight impaired visitors because a lot of the history is anecdotal and entertaining and interesting to listen to, and the guides will allow you to handle some of the less fragile items on display, including the 17th century armour."

The above is a brief extract from the Access Statement now appearing on the website for this very popular visitor attraction. It was prepared by David Stainton, on behalf of Sir Thomas Ingilby who is always at the forefront of ensuring he considers the maximum enjoyment of a visit , with inclusive access to facilities for all !

An Access Statement should give an honest and true description of not only good access features but also the barriers that a disabled person may encounter on their visit. This enables a disabled person to pre-plan their visit, with confidence that there will be no surprises on arrival. This is why David Stainton, who is ambulant disabled as well as being a very experienced Access Consultant can consider all aspects of disability and/or impairment to which the environment may provide a barrier, and exactly how a disabled person will use facilities. Ask for a fee quote for a tailor-made Access Statement for your visitor attraction, museum, or guest accommodation.

Scarborough is the most enterprising town in Britain - and it's official.

In October 2008, an entry submitted by the Scarborough Renaissance Partnership won Enterprising Britain 2008. Scarborough was designated as an urban renaissance town, which lead to a community planning weekend in 2002, out of which public and private enterprise and community and voluntary organisations answered the rallying call, resulting in a Town Team and themed Action Groups taking an approach based on real engagement and inclusion throughout the community.

Over the past six years, Scarborough has undergone regeneration under the banner "The Sleeping Beauty Awakes". Noteable schemes that have incorporated inclusive access have included the major redevelopment of the Rotunda Museum, a historic and unique but underused archaelogical museum; creation of the Woodend Creative Workspace, an exciting creative centre for small businesss, created from a previously mostly static and old-fashioned Museum. The jewel in the crown is the Spa Conference and Entertainment Centre that has stood testament to Scarborough's Victorian wealth and charm as the first seaside resort in the country. The building is being lovingly restored to ensure its features are used again to the full, and an ongoing scheme includes a £3.4 million scheme to refurbish the main conference facility. The scheme has already seen disabled access adaptations to ensure maximum access, including stairs and platform lifts, and the proposal is to raise the floor of the large lounge bar, so as to render this accessible to all, without obtrusive disabled ramps.

Access Staintons carried out access audits, and made recommendations on access solutions to Scarborough Borough Council in regard to all its public buildings, including the Spa and the Museums, and look forward to the opportunity of advising on other projects, including the adventurous Harbour and Foreshore plans.

History moves forward into the 60's.

The Castle Museum in York is a very popular tourist attraction, well known for its portrayal of York history, from mediaeval times, with its cell of the notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin, through the Victorian era with its cobbled street scene. Now it is coming much more up to date with its 60's Gallery. Access Staintons were consulted by the designers to ensure fully inclusive access, and we were able to advise on such as the font styles of lettering and colour combinations for the information boards.

The gallery is on the ground floor, with easy physical access, and incorporates information that is easy to read, together with reasonable height cabinets of artefacts, and various objects associated with the flower-power, pop and rock and roll era. There are tactile displays including touch screen video, a Lambretta scooter and a life-sized space capsule, as well as genuine 60's shops and a pub. The Museum is continuing to improve on access in consultation with Access Staintons, and to add to the level access to reception and automatic doors, an accessible ramp is planned for January 2009 to replace the current incline stairlift, to rise from reception to the Victorian street.

Inclusive access is a major consideration in Heritage Lottery funding. Following a rigorous selection process, David Stainton of Access Staintons is proud to have been selected and win a four years' contract as Mentor, Expert Advisor on access issues, and Associate Monitor to the |Heritage Lottery Fund. David will be drawing upon his experience in the disabled access field, particularly in the field of historic buildings and visitor attractions. He is looking forward to not only advising on specific access considerations, but also to the opportunity of mentoring organisations at the outset in preparing suitable applications for funding, and being on hand to monitor the work being carried out.

All The York Art Gallery is now accessible to all. The York Museums Trust has just installed a new enclosed straight rise platform lift, which will transport wheelchair users and ambulant disabled visitors to more easily access the first floor galleries.

Previously, there was only limited number of disabled people allowed to the first floor at any one time because of the less adequate incline stairlift. The latter has now been removed and is no longer an eyesore on the imposing main staircase.

Access Staintons were appointed by the Trust to carry out an access audit and advise on adaptations to ensure inclusive access. Other work carried out includes permanent stone paved ramps to the entrance colonnade, to replace an unsightly wooden one, and to alter the entrance location so as to gice direct access to the reception desk. Continuing improvements are also being made, including clearer labelling of exhibits and provision of more seating for resting.

The National Coal Mining Museum looks to inclusive access but retaining the intrinsic character of its working displays.

The National Coal Mining Museum aims to be accessible to all. The Museum is located on the original Caphouse Colliery, and as such, many of the original buildings have been retained, to illustrate a working environment. As a result, in achieving a balance between authenticity and access, not all areas are easily accessed, particularly by wheelchair users.

The bulk of the main Caphouse Colliery site is reasonably level, with tarmac and concrete surfaces between buildings, with pedestrian routes clearly signed. There are eleven designated disabled car parking spaces alongside the main orientation, galleries, shop and restaurant building, and further spaces between that building and the retained colliery buildings around the courtyard. There is level access from these spaces into the main building. Travelling between the main Caphouse Colliery site and the smaller Hope Pit site adjoining can be along a pedestrian route, via the train with an accessible carriage for wheelchairs. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome. Any special requirements or queries you may have regarding accessibility, so as to make your visit an enjoyable one, can be discussed in advance of your visit.

The modern main building is single storey, with level entry access, and automatic main entrance doors, and internally, there are ramps for change of levels and incorporating galleries with audio and visual information, a restaurant, shop , teaching areas and toilets , all fully accessible. Other galleries are in purpose built buildings incorporating displays and information, with lift access between floors. Some of the working buildings are less accessible to all.

All visitors can take advantage of the selective hand-held audio tour guide. The underground tour is fully accompanied, with explanations and information from an experienced guide, who also has strict safety procedures to follow. As this is in an authentic mine, there are uneven floors, of varying widths, and also some ceilings that are lower, so as to necessitate bending over in places. Two standard manual wheelchairs can be available, and (walking sticks to assist someone with limited mobility. Accompanied by the guide, there is a working cage style lift, that descends 140metres to the seam. The lift does have a handrail and lighting.

Access Staintons were appointed to carry out an access audit, and added recommendations for improvements to access, although the design already incorporated very good access features. They have also prepared an Access Statement that will be included in the Museum' website, so as to further assist a potential visitor before arriving. Lottery funding has been obtained for further improvements to create a simulation of the working mine in an authentic but safe environment for the visitor. To this end, David Stainton has also been asked to be part of a consultative group to consider the disabled access parts of the new plans.

Inclusive Access Strategy for Caravan Club

Access Staintons have been working as a panel consultant with The Centre for Accessible Environments in carrying out a countrywide audit of caravan parks for the Caravan Club. The Club has not only been concerned with establishing inclusive access to all its facilities , but on its website are now included Access Statements which give a clear guide to disabled visitors as an honest assessment of the accessible facilities, and barriers that may still exist, so as to be able to plan a booking in advance.

Major Health and Community Centres in Greater Manchester Under the LIFT Scheme.

Tameside and Glossop and Bury Primary Care Trusts have combined in two major capital projects to provide combined Health and Community Centre, surgeries and specialist services in multi-purpose buildings in Ahton and Radcliffe. Access Staintons are part of the design team to ensure that inclusive access to all, including disabled users, is achieved.