A Harrogate disability charity has launched a range of accessible route packs to help more people to access the outdoors.

Open Country has produced a range of ‘breakfree’ packs offering inspiration on great places to walk, wheel, stroll, or cycle, covering the Harrogate district.

The charity helps people with disabilities to access the countryside. It offers daily activities for disabled people, including walks, conservation projects, allotment clubs, tandems clubs and adventure clubs.

The packs have been launched to celebrate National Walking Month, which takes place in May.

The Harrogate routes include the Beryl Burton cycleway, Staveley Nature Reserve, Pateley Bridge Glasshouses and the Valley Gardens.

A spokesperson for Open Country said:

“The free packs have been specially developed with wheelchair users in mind, but they could also support anyone who might struggle with exercise, limited mobility or even families with pushchairs.”

“Each trail features clear, colour maps for each location, with all the information needed to help plan a trip out, including access to facilities and points of interest.”

Open Country walks

The ‘breakfree packs’ also cover Leeds, Wakefield, Wharfedale and York. A range of audio walks are also available on the Open Country website or on their YouTube channel, so that people can enjoy fully descriptive walks from the comfort of their own home.

The charity also provides advice for landowners and organisations on accessibility issues through its Countryside Advice Service.

Packs are available to download here or the charity can to deliver or post packs in bulk to organisations. To request packs contact community@opencountry.org

An available breakfree map from Open Country, the Beryl Burton cycleway

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A brand-new block of flats that was described as “setting the standard” for assisted living facilities when it was opened this month is “an absolute shambles”, according to a resident who moved in last week. 

St Roberts Grove, which offers residential care and support to people with a range of disabilities, was described as “what the future of care looks like” by Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones when he cut the ribbon on the Claro Road facility in Harrogate this month. 

But new resident Nick Moxon, 35, has highlighted one of the building’s shortcomings by filming himself trying to get into the lift he needs to use to reach his first-floor flat.

As shown in the video, which Mr Moxon shared with the Stray Ferret, he has first to go through a door and turn immediately right, stopping on a very small landing at the top of a flight of stairs. Then, he has to reverse his wheelchair and press the button to call the lift, before edging forward again to allow the first door to close behind him. 

Once the lift has come and the door opened for him, he has to reverse through 90 degrees into the lift. But the passageway is so narrow that the manoeuvre requires a lot of shunting back and forth, and in the video clip he shared, the attempt is in vain because the lift door ‘times out’ and closes automatically, meaning that Mr Moxon has to start the process all over again. 

He said: 

“I can use the lift, but it usually takes me a few goes. We tenants were only allowed to see inside the building a week before we moved in, and when I saw the lift, I thought ‘why on earth have they done that?’” 

Mr Moxon, who previously praised the spaciousness of the flats themselves, said that the problems at St Roberts Grove aren’t just confined to the lift: 

“The flats are lovely, but the corridors and doorways you have to use to get to them are too narrow. In some places, two wheelchairs going in opposite directions can’t get past each other. Some people’s wheelchairs are too big to access all parts of the building, and some people can’t work the lift to see their friends because they have limited mobility in their hands.

“We were sold this idea of the building being completely accessible, allowing people to live independently, but it’s not – it’s an absolute shambles. It’s completely unacceptable for a 2024 building. The person who designed it just hasn’t put any thought into how wheelchairs can get about.” 

The £7.5 million St Roberts Grove development was built and is owned by Sheffield-based Highstone Housing Association, which specialises in supported living accommodation for vulnerable adults, in partnership with local authorities across Yorkshire. The new facility has 35 accessible flats and on-site support staff is run by Disability Action Yorkshire. 

Two of three planned blocks have been built, and the third, due to be built on the site of Disability Action Yorkshire’s current care home, is expected to be completed by spring 2026. 

Mr Moxon said: 

“Far from the promise of increased independence, the layout of the two current blocks of flats deeply undermines the overall objective of the project, which should ensure that disabled persons should be allowed to dream and aspire to achieve their potential, and not be hidden by archaic and outdated attitudes obviously held by the architect who was in charge of designing our new homes.”  

Mr Moxon has contacted Disability Action Yorkshire about the accessibility issues at St Roberts Grove and has presented a list of recommendations to Highstone Housing Association, which has said it will consider the matter carefully.

He added:

“I had a constructive meeting with Highstone and we’re trying to find an amicable solution. Watch this space.”

Andrew Jones MP and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson cut the ribbon at the opening.

The Stray Ferret asked Andrew Jones MP if he stood by his comment that St Roberts Grove was “what the future of care looks like”. He replied:

“The future of disability care is modern, flexible, aspirational accommodation which gives disabled people the chance to have their own tenancy, their own property and their own front door just the same as everybody else.”

He confirmed Mr Moxon had contacted him about the issue, but said the correspondence was confidential.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, for comment but not yet had a response.

Mr Jones added:

“I feel sure that Disability Action Yorkshire will want to work constructively with any tenant who raises concerns. I understand though that the chief executive is unable to comment until next week.”

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For 11 disabled people preparing to move into their own flat within a new assisted living development in Harrogate, there are mixed emotions.

There’s a natural apprehension about the change and challenges ahead, as they make their desired move towards more independence and control over the way they live their lives.

But there’s also excitement at the prospect of having their own key to a home that is theirs alone. For most, it will be the first time in their lives that they will have their own front door. Their fully-accessible, modern and spacious apartments will bring them a new level of independence. They will be able to use their space as they wish – to relax, entertain, cook and have friends round.

The £7.5 million St Roberts Grove development was unveiled on Wednesday by the charity and social enterprise, Disability Action Yorkshire. It will replace the organisation’s existing 20-bed residential care home for younger adults on Claro Road.

The scheme is designed to empower people with disabilities to be independent and live their life to the fullest, as they want to live it, while ensuring that support is on hand for them when they need it.

Each flat has its own kitchen, living area, bedroom and en-suite wetroom, and has been custom designed for the individual needs of its inhabitant. Staff from the charity will be on site 24 hours a day to provide personalised care and support. Each flat will also have a call bell system so tenants can ask for assistance if they need it.

‘Nervous and excited’

Jacqueline Kelly, left, with Claro Road support carer Tracey Wilson.

Jacqueline Kelly is among the first group of residents, mostly aged between 18 and 45, who will be moving into their new homes on Monday.

Attending the official opening of the development last Wednesday, Jacqueline had just a few bits left to pack over the weekend. For the last 24 years, she has been living at Claro Road, where she’s had her own bedroom and en-suite wet room but has shared a communal living room, dining room and kitchen. So this will be a big change for her. She said:

“I’m nervous but I’m excited about having my own space. I’ve been to see my new flat and have been trying to imagine it with my furniture in there. I want to be relaxed in it and make a good job of it, to make a life. I want to enjoy it.”

‘This is just the next challenge’

Nick Moxon outside his new flat.

Nick Moxon feels the same way. He’s slightly apprehensive about moving into his own flat after 14 years at Claro Road. But, at the same time, he’s looking forward to being more independent and is relishing the challenge ahead of him. He said:

“This will be the first time I’ve lived on my own. It’s a bit daunting and a new experience. I’ll need to adapt to my new support package and the set times that I’ll have help, but it should make me more independent. Sometimes you have to go out of your comfort zone, but you take it step by step.”

Nick said he’d gained a lot of self-confidence during his time at Claro Road and had met some great people, who he would miss. He said:

“I’ve been used to living in a community, so I’ll miss seeing the other people as often. I’m quite active socially so I’ll be inviting them over – I’ll able to have people round to the flat when I want to.”

Nick said he was very impressed by the spaciousness of the flats, with the size of the bathrooms really standing out for him.

And once he’s settled in, there’s one thing that he’s set his sights on achieving this year. He said:

“I’m looking forward to doing some cooking. I won’t be able to cook completely independently and will need a bit of support, but by the end of this year I want to have mostly prepared a meal by myself. I’m going to cook a meal and have my family over as my first visitors to try it. If I can cook a meal for them, I’ll be dead proud.

“It’s the little things that people take for granted that for people like me are so emotional. Last year I went to Norway on a cruise and this is just the next challenge.”

Setting the standard

The facility is owned by Highstone Housing Association, with Harrogate-based Disability Action Yorkshire providing care and support. The first phase of the development comprises 23 individual one and two-bed apartments. A further 12 will be built on the site of the existing care home, which will be demolished later this year. The project is expected to be completed in 2026.

“St Roberts Grove sets the standard,” said Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a multi-gold-medal-winning Paralympian and now Deputy Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire. She was at the official unveiling and open day, and was impressed with the new development. She continued:

“It’s lovely. It’s so good for people to have their own space and to have decent quality accommodation. It helps them be more independent, fitter and healthier.

“I’ve looked around one of the flats and it was lovely, with two bedrooms and two big bathrooms. Having that support on site is really important for the residents, as well as having their own living space. It’s personalised. It’s something that other places can really learn from.”

The kitchen of one of the new assisted living flats.

Baroness Thompson’s words were echoed by the Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones, who cut the ribbon on the new development. Congratulating Disability Action Yorkshire, he described the new supported living scheme as a major project for the charity and one to which they’d aspired for a long time. He said:

“This is an absolutely fantastic facility that sets the standard for what supported living can look like in our area. These are beautiful apartments and they are unique in our area. This is what the future of care looks like.”

Andrew Jones MP cuts the ribbon, with Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson pictured second from left, along with residents of the current care home, community representatives and charity staff and trustees.

‘The same opportunities as everyone else’

The best thing about the open day for Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, was getting the chance to show Jacqueline, Nick and the other residents around the development. Some hadn’t seen their flats before, while others were visiting with an interest in moving there. Jackie said:

“From the people that we work with at our care home, we identified the demand for this development. Some of them didn’t need to have the 24-hour care that was available in the care home. They told us they wanted their own front door, they wanted their own homes. They wanted to live independently. We’ll be providing the care and support they need to enable them to live their lives as they want.”

Jackie said demand for flats had been high and encouraged people to register their interest. More people will be moving in over the next few months, leaving the new accommodation almost fully occupied.

It has taken nearly a decade for the scheme to be completed, after multiple false starts and the pandemic meant it took longer than expected, said Jackie. She added:

“There’s supported housing in the area but a lot of it is group living. This scheme is quite unique and it is needed.

“Eight years ago we started working on how we could move away from residential care, so it’s amazing to see it come to fruition. Disabled people should have exactly the same opportunities as everybody else.”

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A Ripon student is organising a fundraising concert in aid of paralysed Ripon Grammar student Alan Nowicki.

Daniel McClean, 17, is organising the event to take place next week.

In December, 15-year-old Alan had a life-changing accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. He fell from a pull-up bar in his bedroom and as he landed, hit his head on the hard floor.

Alan was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary where it was discovered he had suffered a spinal fracture resulting in a severe spinal cord injury. After 11 days and emergency surgery, he was transferred to Wakefield Pinderfields Hospital.

Alan’s mum, Kamila began a £20,000 fundraising campaign to fly her son to Poland for rehabilitation after she was quoted UK treatments at over £10,000 a week. The fundraiser is still live and has now reached over £23,000.

Kamila said:

“Most of it has been spent already on our nine-week rehab stay, flights, wheelchair and other rehabilitation equipment that I’ve bought for home use. I don’t have a top figure in mind really – every little helps.

“Alan is doing really well, he’s super strong and fit, positive thinking throughout. No change in terms of the paralysis but he has regained feeling further down on his tummy, so fingers crossed.”

Alan Nowicki at the Polish rehabilitation centre, Donum Corde.

Alan aims to get back to school to sit his GCSEs and begin A-levels. Before the accident he was in the RAF Air Cadets and aspires to be a pilot, a dream Daniel McClean shares.

Daniel said:

“When I heard what was happening and what we had in common it struck a special chord. For someone wanting to be a pilot it is potentially a career-ending injury.

“I don’t know Alan but when I read about his accident I couldn’t abide the thought that the help he needed wasn’t immediately being provided to him. It really struck me that I or anyone could be in that situation.”

Three student bands will take part in the concert. Mr McClean is a drummer in the band Yellow Number 5, which is among them. He told the Stray Ferret he aims to raise over £1,000 towards Alan’s treatment.

Daniel McClean’s band, Yellow Number 5

He said:

“I have spoken with Alan’s family and had confirmation that they are coming to the concert. They are very grateful we are doing this. I am also very grateful to Ripon Grammar for going out of their way to support me with this. This is definitely the biggest thing I have organised but everyone has been very supportive and at the end of the day it is about getting Alan the care he needs.”

The concert is among a number of fundraising events organised by members of the Ripon Grammar School community, including a home baked foods stall run by students and a non-uniform day where students paid £2 each to wear non-uniform.

The concert will take place April 18 from 7.30-10pm and is only open to students of Ripon Grammar School and their families. There is no ticket fee but volunteers will have donation buckets at the event. To donate online, click here.

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A Knaresborough care home has been granted planning permission to expand.

Thistle Hill Care Home will be able to provide more accommodation for younger people with physical disabilities and acquired brain injuries.

Barchester Healthcare, which owns the home on Thistle Hill, applied to North Yorkshire Council to create single storey extensions to the front and rear of the existing building, a roof terrace and four car parking spaces.

The home provides 24-hour nursing and specialist dementia care, and also operates the Farnham Unit, which offers specialist care for younger people with physical disabilities and acquired brain injuries.

According to a design and access statement by Harris Irwin Architects in support of the application, the scheme will provide eight additional en-suite bedrooms for these younger people.

The statement said:

“The 20-bed Farnham Unit is in high demand and always runs at full capacity. Potential permanent and respite admissions are routinely turned away due to lack of available beds.

“The home operates a waiting list for both private and respite admissions due to lack of capacity and has had to cease regular respite return stays due to full occupancy with permanent residents.”

It added:

“There is high demand locally for services that support younger adults with physical disabilities and/or acquired brain injuries. There are currently insufficient numbers of specialist beds that cater for both these needs locally. This insufficient local provision is leading to such cohorts being placed out of area, which is an undesirable outcome for all concerned.”

The home is situated 1.2 miles from Knaresborough town centre on Green Belt land.

Aimée McKenzie, the case officer at the council, said in the decision notice report:

“From a visual prospective the additions will be minimal. The scheme is an extension to an existing site, which is sustainable as it ensures its continued use.

“It is considered based on the need presented for this site specifically and local community benefit of continued specialist support; on balance and the cumulative benefits, there is justification for the expansion of this care home in this location. It is considered the proposal in principle does accord with local and national planning polices.

“On the basis of the above the development proposed is considered on balance to be acceptable in principle and would not create harm in relation to design, amenity, highway safety, impact to the green belt and protected landscape.”

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I meet Jonty Warneken almost 29 years to the day of his car crash. It was November 29, 1994, when he veered off a road near Ripley at 50mph, ploughed through a hedge and hit an oak tree. His injuries were so severe that his lower left leg had to be amputated.

In the years since, Jonty has taken on extreme challenges, set world records and represented Great Britain in ice swimming. So how has he done it? How does someone move on from such a traumatic incident to live such an extraordinary life?

“I do it because it’s fun, it’s amazing. I love life. I’ve always had that bit of spark in me. If something happens to you, you either let it affect you for the rest of your life, or you don’t.

“Never once do I feel sorry for myself. I’ve had my disability for so long I don’t even think about it. I wouldn’t say it’s an irrelevance; it’s just a fact of life.

“I never say ‘What if I hadn’t driven my car that way.’ That just eats your soul and serves no positive purpose. Instead, I say ‘what if’ I do this, or ‘why not’ try that. I know how fragile life is. I don’t want to go to my grave thinking what I could have done if I’d said yes a bit more.”

‘I take it this is a fatality’

Jonty was 22 years old on that day in 1994, driving home alone from a job interview in his 1963 MGB Roadster. It didn’t have seatbelts and, like many classic cars, wasn’t the safest of vehicles, even by 1990s standards. It took emergency crews an hour to cut him free. After he arrived at the hospital, a police officer who’d been at the scene of the crash entered A&E saying, ‘I take it this is a fatality.’

Jonty spent six months in hospital. As well as facial injuries which would require his nose to be rebuilt, both his legs were badly damaged. His left leg later became infected. He was given a choice: five operations over three years for a 30 per cent chance of being able to use it again, or amputation below the knee. He chose the latter.

“From a psychological point of view, it was a decision of logic, not emotion. I knew what I was doing: I’m not playing that game. I’d had an awful year – I’d left the Army and split up with my girlfriend – and I just wanted to get on with my life.”

Jonty in hospital after the car crash

He remembers sitting up in bed after the operation and looking down at the space under the duvet.

“I knew then that I had to get on. I had a responsibility to my parents and my friends. I thought, ‘Let’s crack on, I can’t sit here and feel sorry for myself.’”

First up, he wanted to do everything he could to make sure he wasn’t a burden and a worry to his family and friends. Secondly, he wanted to be out of hospital as quickly as possible – something he managed on June 5th, his mother’s 50th birthday and just two weeks after the amputation.

He set himself more goals. He wanted to be walking as best he could by the time of a friend’s wedding in July, around six weeks after the amputation. By the end of that year, he’d got a job.

A commonality of suffering

Now 51, Jonty discovered open water swimming 12 years ago, when his brother Andrew decided to give it a go and asked him along. They had grown up in Nidderdale and spent many happy times as children swimming with their friends in local rivers, but Jonty was surprised how much he enjoyed it again. It was easier on his leg than other activities, and he loved being in nature, which he describes as “the best balm for my mind and soul”. He now lives near Wetherby and promotes accessibility to the outdoors as a trustee of Open Country, a Harrogate charity that helps people with disabilities to access and enjoy the countryside.

Open water swimming led to ice swimming (swimming in water under five degrees) and the start of some extreme challenges. In 2014, Jonty became the first disabled person to complete an Ice Mile swim. In June last year, he crossed the North Channel, from Donaghadee in Northern Ireland to Portpatrick in Scotland, as part of ‘Team Bits Missing’, the only para swimming relay team ever to do so.

Team Bits Missing with Jonty, second from left

And in September this year Jonty crossed the same stretch of water again, this time on his own, in a time of 15 hours, 22 minutes and 41 seconds. With no wetsuit on, in line with official rules, he had to contend with cold water, lion’s mane jellyfish (“They really hurt “), and currents that pushed him so far off course that he ended up swimming 33-and-a-half miles instead of the 21 it should have been. He was the first amputee, and 135th swimmer overall, to complete the challenge solo.

“It’s so hard but there’s just something about getting into cold water and swimming a distance; it’s the endorphins. And the community is amazing, it’s so welcoming and friendly. Everyone is equal in ice swimming. It’s a commonality of suffering.”

Jonty at Knaresborough Lido, in a water temperature of one degree

‘We can do this as equals’

That sense of equality is really important to him. He sees one of his greatest achievements as successfully pushing for a change in the system at the International Ice Swimming Association (IISE)’s World Championships in France. It allowed a para mixed freestyle relay team, including Jonty, to compete as a country in its own right, swimming against able-bodied national teams.

“It still makes me emotional. I know how happy it made everyone on the team. Show me another sport where men and women are in one team and paras compete against able-bodied people. It’s saying we can do this and we can do this as equals.”

‘I’m playing my hand to the max’

Before ice swimming, it was skiing that replaced rugby after the crash. He had never tried it until he heard about a trial being held by the British Disabled Ski Club. Straight away, he was hooked. And, in typical style, he’s aiming to push his limits there, too. In January last year, he had to abandon plans to ski in the Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra in Canada, said to be the world’s coldest and toughest. He’d caught Covid during preparations on an Arctic survival course in Sweden.

“You get dealt a set of cards and I’m playing my hand to the max. I’ve honestly never had a moment where I’ve regretted anything. Instead of saying, ‘Why would you want to do it?’, I ask, ‘Why not?’”

It’s this ‘why not’ mentality that his beloved wife, Penny, has to keep in check. She seems to be the only reason he’s ever said no to anything.

“I have a responsibility to Penny. The challenges I do aren’t cheap and some of them come with risk, so the deal is that Penny has a say on what I do. What I’m not allowed to do is climb mountain peaks. I’m quite glad about it really, because if someone asked me I would say yes.”

But he is beginning to recognise his limitations and the strain his body is under, particularly his remaining leg which was also badly injured in the crash.

“Swimming and cross country skiing don’t hurt the ankle as much, but walking and running are getting harder. I’ve had four operations on my ankle already and I can’t have any more. I’m lucky because I live with pain so my pain threshold is pretty high. I find it fascinating how far I can go. But as you get older, your body starts giving up.”

Whether he listens to his body is a different matter, though. He’s written down some ‘rules of life’ which include: I say ‘yes’ a lot more than ‘no’ to try new things’ and ‘I accept that pain and suffering are part of what I have to go through to achieve what I want to achieve’.

So what else does he want to achieve? Still on Jonty’s bucket list is a North or South Pole skiing challenge. He’s aiming to get ‘all the big stuff’ done before he turns 65, and then he says he owes Penny the rest of his time.

I have one final question for Jonty, and it’s one he gets asked often. Given that he says his disability hasn’t held him back, and that he’s met his wife and a great community of ice swimmers and friends since his accident, would he turn back time if he could?

“I would have my leg back tomorrow because it would make my life easier. I’d still have done all the crazy stuff, I’d have maxed all my potential, and I’d have still met my wife. I just think I could have done even more – and it wouldn’t have been so tough doing it.”

Do you have an extraordinary story to tell? Get in touch with Katie at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

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Rural trails in the Harrogate area, which can be enjoyed by wheelchair users and people with mobility problems, are to be given additional promotion.

Knaresborough West Liberal Democrat councillor, Matt Walker, has provided a £2000 grant from his locality budget to print new Breakfree packs highlighting where the trails are.

Every councillor has an annual locality budget of £10,000 to support local projects of their choice that “promote the social, economic, or environmental wellbeing of the communities they represent.”

The packs, produced by the charity Open Country, consist of a variety of different trails in Harrogate, Knaresborough, and Ripon that are accessible for people with disabilities.  They include maps, detailed routes, and access information.

Cllr Walker said:

“There are many good reasons to get out into the fresh air to enjoy the hugely varied countryside our county has to offer.

“The benefits to our mental and physical wellbeing are well documented, and it is essential that the opportunity is open to everyone, so I am delighted to have been able to support the creation of these packs, which are readily available, and which offer accessible routes to local residents as well as visitors from other parts of North Yorkshire and beyond.”

David Shaftoe, chief officer of Open Country, said:

“We’re really delighted to be able to issue this updated guide to the very best of our local accessible countryside. It’s all part of Open Country’s goal to help disabled people access and enjoy the great outdoors.

“We hope that people will enjoy using it and will want to try one of our other Breakfree packs for adjacent areas.”

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A disabled Harrogate man has won a settlement against Nuffield Health after the gym allegedly discriminated against him when trying to renew his membership.

Andrew Gray, a lawyer and founder of Truth Legal, was a member of his local Nuffield health and fitness centre until his health deteriorated.

Mr Gray was a keen marathon runner and played football until April 2021.

Side effects attributed to treatment following a prescribed course of the antibiotic fluoroquinolone led to him developing chronic fatigue, fainting episodes and numerous other symptoms due to heart, blood pressure and prostate problems.

Now disabled, he enquired with his local gym in Harrogate in February last year about reduced rates due to being physically unable to use the equipment and attend the facilities.

He was a keen user of the swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi which helped relieve muscle and joint pain resulting from his condition.

However, Mr Gray was told that no adjustments in the membership pricing structure for disabled people were available.

Mr Gray argued that as his health condition varies unpredictably, sometimes he would not be well enough to use the pool and jacuzzi despite his desire to do so for the benefits it would afford him, further justifying his request for a reasonably lowered membership fee. 

He said:

“All I wanted to do was to enhance my chance to get well again. Many disabled people would benefit from fairer access to such facilities.

“People with chronic conditions are put off joining such places because of the unfair pricing.”

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Acting on behalf of Mr Gray, Katherine Swinn, a senior associate solicitor at Truth Legal also based in Harrogate, issued a disability discrimination claim for breach of the 2010 Equality Act. 

The outcome saw Nuffield agreeing to settle the claim, establishing an independent committee, comprising a team of medical experts to look at all future memberships for disabled members. 

Moving forward, people with disabilities will be able to apply for reduced membership rates after submitting medical evidence of their disability. The committee will consider applications on a case by case basis.

‘Positive outcome for disabled people’

Ms Swinn said:

“This is a very positive outcome for Mr Gray and for disabled people in general, who have been unfairly discriminated against purely for wanting to go to the gym and only pay for the equipment and facilities that they are physically capable of using.

“As this was already in place for pensioners using this particular gym, there was no fair or reasonable explanation why a similar reduced fee membership policy didn’t exist for people with disabilities who also wanted to attend.

“It is completely pointless to have legislation in place such as the Equality Act 2010 if nobody really uses it outside of the workplace. It is applicable to services, as well as employment.

“We are fully supportive of Nuffield’s decision to provide people with disabilities with an opportunity to apply for a reduced fee and hopefully this will establish a fair precedent for other similar leisure facilities to introduce policies that will include rather than exclude disabled members.”

Mr Gray welcomed the settlement and said he hoped other gym chains would follow suit and implement similar membership policies.

He said:

“My hope is that other gym chains follow suit. If they did, they would be opening themselves up to many with disabilities who are put off by the unfair pricing policies. And use of gym facilities could help hundreds of thousands of people to improve their health.”

A spokesperson for Nuffield Health said:

“We are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the nation and are always looking at ways to widen access to our services.

“As part of this we continually consider new ways to support people with different needs.”

Details, including a timeframe, for the introduction of the policy has yet to be confirmed.

Rail company Northern has added Harrogate to its list of mobility scooter-friendly stations. 

It means staff will be on hand to help mobility scooter users, providing items such as ramps to access trains.

Northern said this week 38 new stations, including Harrogate, had become mobility scooter-friendly, bringing the total to more than 160 stations across 28 routes.  

Anyone travelling on a mobility scooter must first obtain a permit from Northern to ensure the model they use meets certain size and manoeuvrability specifications.

The scheme is free and registered passengers are given a personalised sticker that will placed on the pre-assessed vehicle. This will be accompanied by a card that can be carried by customers if they use scooters that don’t have a suitable place to display the sticker.

Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern, said:

“We are committed to giving people with additional mobility needs the confidence to travel by rail. We want to support our customers whenever they need it.

“The mobility scooter scheme is an example of this commitment and we’ll be looking to deliver improved accessibility across our network as we roll out similar improvements at other stations in the future.”

Read more:

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Northern recently banned all e-scooters, hoverboards and e-skateboards across its trains and stations in the north of England

However, electric wheelchairs and e-bikes are exempt from the ban – as are mobility scooters for those with access needs, as long as they are registered with the train operator’s mobility scooter permit scheme – which checks devices by a range of criteria to make sure they are safe to use on-board.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,000 services a day to more than 500 stations across the north of England.