Chesterfield Accessibility

Accessibility and inclusion to be highlighted in Chesterfield

Local organisations are shining a light on accessibility and inclusion in Chesterfield, showcasing the support available for people with disabilities.

Local disability support and community groups, supported by the Chesterfield Equality and Diversity Forum, are to hold a free event during National Inclusion Week and Chesterfield residents are invited to come along.

Hosted alongside various disability organisations, the aim of the day is to spread awareness and show support around accessibility and inclusion in the Chesterfield area.

The inclusion day will take place Tuesday 24 September between 10am and 3pm at New Square, and Grace Chapel in Chesterfield town centre.

Partners including the NHS, RNIB, Accessible UK, Deaf-intely Women, Derbyshire All Age Carer Support Service, Scope, Peaky Blindies sight support group, Building Bridges support group, Scope, Grace Chapel, Feeling Connected DVA, Mindscapes support group, Chesterfield Shop Mobility and Pain Inspired (chronic pain support group) and many more will be on hand throughout the event to offer advice and support information.

A key aim of the initiative to is to create a better understanding of the experiences of people who have a disability, including the challenges that they may face in everyday life. To help highlight some of these issues, attendees will take part in an initiative called ‘a moment in our shoes’ – supported by local social enterprise, Kakou.

Those taking part in the event will use vision glasses supplied by RNIB and headphones supplied by Deaf-intely Women to enable them to ‘walk’ in the shoes of individuals with various disabilities, including visual and hearing impairment, limited mobility, wheelchair use, and hidden disabilities or learning disabilities, to truly understand the challenges they face.

They will be interviewed and filmed to capture their thoughts and reflections, and this will be used to create a short film after the event –  further spreading the message of inclusivity.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, Leader of the Council, said: “Having the opportunity to experience real life situations and understand the issues people are facing will help to inform our decision making and have a positive impact in our town.”

Karen Lawson, a social prescriber who works together with local GP practices to support people in managing their disabilities, has helped to organise the event.

She said: “I’m inspired by the people in our community who face daily challenges of accessibility and inclusion. Their voice is often not heard.

“They are asking decision-makers and the community to spend ‘a moment in our shoes’ so they know what it feels like.

“Through art, performance, hands-on experiences, talks and sharing the passion of our community we can use this event to help make our town a positive, shining, example of inclusion.”

National Inclusion Week is an annual week of activities and events that aim to highlight the importance of inclusion across the UK. It runs from 23rd to 29th September 2024.

 

 

 

 

new square Chesterfield

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Accessibility improvements made at Peak Edge Hotel and Red Lion Restaurant

The Peak Edge Hotel and Red Lion Restaurant has undergone recent improvements to improve accessibility at the venue.

With the building originally developed in the 18th century but still thriving in the 21st century, the hotel ownership and staff have developed the venue to meet modern accessibility standards.

The works will enable more people to enjoy the food, drink and hospitality offer at Peak Edge.

Improvements to the property over recent years include dedicated parking, accessible rooms, wide corridors, lifts and access ramps to the rear of the property. However the hotel found integrating the restaurant with the rest of the building a challenge.

In response to this, the hotel’s owner, Steve Perez, reached out to Access Lifts in late 2023, with the main obstacle being the tight constraints of the stone built corridors leading up to the restaurant, with no space for a conventional platform lift.

Therefore, the only viable solution was a Hidden Platform Lift. This new Hidden Platform Lift allows the corridor and steps leading up to the entrance to be used as normal when the lift is in its resting position, but the lift features an on-platform handrail with controls to allow the restaurant and hotel guests to move between the two levels.

The lift has been supplied with remote control key fobs for use by members of staff too, if any guests require assistance. The lift has been neatly finished with wooden floorboards to match the surrounding floor and steps, and is already in use.

Steve was committed to this investment to improve accessibility for guests. He commented: “We knew we needed a better solution to provide easier access, particularly between the hotel and the bar and restaurant and it took some time to find the right solution and it is part of an ongoing journey.”

Steve added: “A coaching inn in 1788 was never designed for modern usage or to modern standards and we continue to invest to improve accessibility whilst maintaining the character and history of the place. Visitors will have seen the original stone with 1788 engraved in it in the bar and they love the original features.

“We need to keep modernising and providing the best quality and standards for all our guests,” added Steve, “but the history is definitely part of our charm. When you are next in, take a look at our photo wall with all the old images on it. There’s a great shot of what the Walton Suite used to look like and we’ve recently discovered some bills from the 1970’s which really show how times have changed.”

Peak Edge Hotel supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Peak Edge Hotel

 

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Plans for Sensory Hub outlined by Chesterfield FC

Chesterfield Football Club has announced that plans for a Sensory Hub at the Technique Stadium are well underway.

Jane Cooper, who is a director of the club and a trustee of the Community Trust, has played an instrumental role in the project. She was a guest on BBC Radio Sheffield earlier this week to talk about the plans.

The Chesterfield FC Community Trust Sensory Hub is a stand-alone building which will be located opposite the entrance to Chester’s Den. It will be a safe, quiet space with sensory equipment and sensory lighting. There will also be a Sensory Garden to the rear.

The Hub is intended for the use of autistic people who need a quiet space to retreat from the noisy, often chaotic environment of a football ground. It will also benefit autistic people and people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in the wider community. It will support autistic youngsters to access the Community Trust’s activities and alternative education provision.

It will be a community resource, open for members of the wider community to hire on an hourly basis and will be a welcome alternative to Chester’s Den who find the play centre environment challenging.

Why is the Sensory Hub needed?

• Autistic people can often be overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, textures, tastes and smells of the world around them and they can become ‘overloaded’ with information.

• This can lead to a ‘meltdown’ or ‘shutdown’ often meaning that they find it difficult to access busy and noisy environments such as a football stadium.

• This impacts on their life and that of their family, friends and those who support them.

The design of the Sensory Hub has been agreed and will be supplied by Rise Adapt. The club has planning permission from the local authority who have commended this provision. Chesterfield FC Community Trust is now applying to funding bodies for the circa £60,000 it will cost to create the Sensory Hub and the sensory garden to the rear. Other fundraising initiatives are likely to follow.

A statement on the Chesterfield FC Community Trust website said: “Chesterfield FC’s vision is to be THE most accessible football club in the country and providing the Sensory Hub will be a step towards achieving this vision. The Football Association motto is ‘For All’ and we intend to make that a reality.

“In the longer term we want to create a quiet viewing area of the pitch on matchdays. A full access audit of the site is underway which will identify other ways in which we can improve.”

Chesterfield Football Club supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 190 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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