Disability friendly Normanby Hall receives award

Normanby Hall Country Park in Scunthorpe has received a silver award recognising its disabled friendly facilities, following a visit from an Opening Doors Mystery Shopper. The project, which was set up by North Lincolnshire Council’s Integrated Services for Disabled Children, gives young people aged 14-25 a voice, and allows them to give feedback on how accessible local services are.

During each visit to an establishment in North Lincolnshire, certain criteria are assessed by the mystery shoppers, such as accessibility, facilities, and staff awareness for those with disabilities. The mystery shopper attending Normanby Hall decided that eight disability friendly criteria were met, making it a great place to visit for both younger and older people who use mobility aids such as wheelchairs or disabled stairlifts.

Adapted to cater for the needs of disabled guests

Buildings and woodland paths were deemed accessible, and free access to mobility scooters, wheelchairs and accessible bikes was noted. Staff receive disability awareness training and carers attending the attraction are provided with a free pass. A Changing Places toilet was also recently installed, and the land train has been adapted to cater for those in wheelchairs, meaning everyone can enjoy Normanby Hall to its full potential.

A statement from Normanby Hall Country Park reads: “Moving forward, we will continue to make Normanby Hall Country Park as accessible as possible for as many people as possible. We are planning on undertaking consultations over the coming year to find out more about what visitors would like to see in the park, and how we can enhance the experience for disabled visitors.”

Normanby Hall recently supported Disabled Access Day on January 17^th, where visitors were allowed entry to the park free of charge and could ask staff questions or request a tour of the facilities. For more information on the accessibility of Normanby Hall, visit the park accessibility page to help plan your visit.

Image Credit: Redlady2000 (Flickr.com)

This content was written by Emily Bray. Please feel free to visit my Google + profile to read more stories.