Fairhaven Woodland and Water Gardens situated in South Walsham, Norfolk is “is 90% wheelchair friendly and our tea room, gift shop and plant sales are fully accessible. We have five mobility scooters which we are able to lend out to visitors (please book in advance).” They have also installed hearing loops in the tea room, gift shop and on the boat.
“With the help of grant funding our sensory garden has been created with our mobility and visually impaired visitors in mind. We have created a Braille guide for this part of the garden and hope to create guides for other parts in the coming months. Most of our information boards throughout the garden have Braille panels and we will soon be introducing audio tours.”
(Source: Fairhaven Woodlands and Water Park, “All for All” webpage)
The website also offers a free downloadable map, list of events and information about other facilities. More information can be found on the Fairhaven website and their contact details can also be found on page 205 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on OpenBritain where you can also post a review of this attraction.
As the weather begins to get slightly better and stay a little dryer (0k, so maybe I’m being very optimistic), it’s time for us to start looking again at what we can do in the great outdoors, countryside and parks. Wrest Park in Silsoe, Bedforshire is one of the UK’s least known parks and yet is magnificent and information for disabled people.
English Heritage provide information for people with mobility, hearing and visual impairments on their website which includes:
Facilities Details:
Toilets: Disabled toilet inside the mansion. Please see access details below.
Shop: Within mansion.
Limited refreshments (tea, coffee, biscuits, cold drinks, confectionary and ice creams) available from the shop. Currently no tearoom/café onsite.
Access:
Access to house: There are steps at the entrance, but an alternative level entrance is available to the garden. Unaccompanied wheelchair users should phone in advance to arrange for access. Buggies are available for disabled visitors.
Grounds and garden buildings: Access to the grounds is via mainly gravel paths and smooth grass. There are steps or a steep slope to the Orangery and steep steps to the Pavilion. There is a ramp to access the Bowling Green House. Benches are provided.
Parking:
Disabled visitors may park outside the mansion.
Visually Impaired Visitors:
Many garden ornaments and sculptures may be touched. There are also many trees and wild flowers.
Hearing Impaired Visitors:
Transcript of audio tour available. (Source: Wrest Park, English Heritage)
Redwings is the largest horse sanctuary in the UK and has over 1100 horses, ponies, donkeys and mules in its direct care. They have 3 visitor centres in Essex, Norfolk and Warwickshire. There is some access information on the each of the Visitor Centre’s individual web pages in the “Getting Around” section.
Although the Redwing Visitor Centres do not reopen until later in the year, it’s well worth planning a visit to see the fantastic work that they do. The Ada Cole Centre is open for half-term in February. Please visit the Redwings web site or call their Visitor Helpline on 0870 040 0033 for further information.
Sandringham House is near the accessible accommodation Park House Hotel and is one of the Royal Family’s country retreats. “The Estate is a thriving mixed landscape, including the tidal mudflats of the Wash, woodland and wetland, arable, livestock and fruit farms, and commercial and residential properties; it is managed to a high standard and sustainably with the aims always of being financially self-sufficient and of providing a place of enjoyment not only for The Royal Family but also for the many thousands of visitors who come to see the House, Museum and Gardens or just to enjoy the Country Park.” (source: www.sandringhamestate.co.uk)
Sandringham House is also fully accessible for wheelchair users and their web site has an Accessibility Page which gives a full Access Statement and there is also an Area Plan of the estate.
Sandringham House is closed until Easter 2010. The Visitor Centre (Gift Shop, Restaurant and Plant Centre) is open every day all through the year. Sandringham Church is closed until Easter 2010.
2010 opening dates: from Saturday 3rd April daily until and including Friday 23rd July, then from Sunday 1st August daily until Sunday 31st October. For further details please see the Sandringham House Website.
Newlands Country House, Southwold is located near to the town centre and just a 10 minute drive from Minsere Bird Sanctuary. They also offer exceptional facilities for people with mobility impairments, an indoor heated swimming pool, ample off road car parking, tea and coffee making equipment.
The accommodation for disabled people comprises of four purposes built Garden Rooms offer ground floor accommodation with doors that are easy to open. The rooms are large enough to accommodate extra beds for carers and care assistants.
Accentuate have just launched their first newsletter which is now available online. Accentuate is an ambitious transformational programme of 15 projects and they state on their about us page that “We are proud of the South East’s heritage as the birthplace of the Paralympic Games. Accentuate will now carry the baton to continue this journey ensuring disabled people have the potential to be the leaders of tomorrow, in whatever field they choose. Accentuate also strives to create a permanent change in the way disability is viewed by society.”
They continue to outline their aims and outcomes as:
That every young disabled person in the South East has the opportunity to create, compete or collaborate with a young person in another competitor country during the lead up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
That the South East becomes the most welcoming and accessible region for disabled people in the UK.
That the South East region is recognised as a lead region in the UK for disability and deaf cultural activity and as an international centre of excellence.
That the South East’s role as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement at Stoke Mandeville is recognised by the world and that its historic archive and the individual histories of Paralympian athletes alongside the impact of the movement itself is explored by artists, and young people in the South East.
That people across the South East have raised awareness of and are inspired by the values of personal best, going for gold and excellence and are offered strategies to help them to adopt these values in their own lives.
For further information, please see the Accentuate website.
The Park House Hotel in Sandringham is operated by the Charity Leonard Cheshire Disability and has a high standard of access for those with reduced mobility. The hotel is located in the Sandringham Royal Estate surrounded by beautiful gardens and trees. It is also conveniently located close to the market town of King’s Lynn.
Park House has a total of 16 bedrooms for guests with disabilities, 8 of which are single and the other 8 are twins. All of the bedrooms are accessible (furniture may be moved for specific requirements), some rooms have overhead tracking hoist, while other mobile hoists also available, all beds have electric raising and lowering. The main hotel rooms are all ensuite, either wet room or bath with shower over. Toilet raisers, portable rails and commodes are also available.
The Curlews is a Bed & Breakfast and self-catering accommodation near Colchester, Essex. The property has been assessed under the National Accessible Scheme to a level of M2 which means that it is suitable for people who have problems walking or can walk a maximum of 3 steps, or need to use a wheelchair some of the time.
The Curlews website paints an idillic picture of the property and surrounding area: “All bedrooms provide uninterrupted views over open farmland and the Stour Estuary. Imagine waking up one bright morning to breakfast on the balcony looking over the wonderful panoramic view of an idyllic Stour estuary, with flocks of wildfowl calling in the new day.”
Curlews is also close to the Essex Way, a very popular path for avid walkers, bird watchers, and those who appreciate getting close to nature. This area is also a very popular destination for artists.
The Access Statement gives a summary of the hotel’s provision which can be found on OpenBritain, more information can is also available on page 191 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Curlews Website.
Acorn Cottage at Highfield Farm in Bedfordshire is a 4 bed self catering accommodation and the bathroom has been adapted to an M2 standard of the National Accessible Scheme (NAS). Three of the bedrooms have double beds and one has two single beds. Three of the bedrooms are also en-suite.
The cottage is all on one level, has polished hard wood floors throughout and has a fully equipped kitchen which includes a dishwasher, microwave, washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge freezer, cooker and radio. The kitchen/diner and living room are all open plan giving a large area for the family to spend their time together.
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.openbritain.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.openbritain.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.openbritain.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Technorati]](http://www.openbritain.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
