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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Bins causing access problems in Ripon car park to be relocated
Two new bins that have created access problems for wheelchair users at Sainsbury’s car park in Ripon are to be relocated.
Harrogate Borough Council recently installed the waste and recycling bins on a footpath with drop kerbs that provides a link from The Arcade to the supermarket.
But they leave little room for wheelchairs, or people with prams and pushchairs, to pass safely.
After being contacted by fellow wheelchair users and parents with young children, Jeremy Dunford, a trustee of Ripon Disability Forum, raised the issue with North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council.
The bins leave little room for manoeuvre for people with limited mobility.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“We have been looking at this area for some time, because cars, even when legally parked, have been encroaching on to the path on either side, making it hard to get along with mobility equipment and wide buggies.
“The addition of the bins made the position even more difficult.”
In response to Mr Dunford’s request for urgent action over the bins, a spokesperson from Harrogate Borough Council, which has installed many large new bins across the district lately, said:
“We’re in the process of having them moved and are working with local partners to find a more suitable location.”
Mr Dunford said:
“I would like to thank the council for their swift response. By working with organisations like the disability forum, we can hopefully avoid issues like this from arising in the future.”
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Outdoor dining forcing Harrogate wheelchair users on to roads
A disability charity in Harrogate has said the sudden increase in outdoor dining has caused safety concerns for wheelchair users and visually impaired people.
Hospitality businesses have taken advantage of new pavement licences this week.
Many have been busy but the extra tables and chairs on pavements has prompted Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, to urge venues to consider people with disabilities.
She said:
“We have heard some concerns already, not only from wheelchair users but also from people with other mobility issues and people with visual impairments.
“It can be difficult if there are tables and chairs on streets where they don’t expect them.”
Ms Snape said tables and chairs on narrow pavements with no segregated pedestrian area were the main problems. She said it encouraged people to spread out on their chairs and take up the whole pavement, adding:
“It forces passers-by to go on the road, which isn’t easy if you are a wheelchair user, especially if there isn’t a dropped kerb.”
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The new outdoor cafe culture has caused other problems, with one wheelchair user telling the charity they had been unable to get a coffee because an outdoors area wasn’t able to accommodate their wheelchair.
Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire
Ms Snape said badly managed queues were also a concern because they forced wheelchair users into roads.
She said:
“It’s great to see everywhere so busy and nobody wants to see restrictions. I suspect most businesses just haven’t thought about these issues. Be kind. Be respectful. These problems could be easily solved.
“But if it becomes a massive issue something will have to be done and some controls put in place.”
Ripon Post Office to move to more accessible location
Ripon’s main Post Office is moving from Finkle Street to a more easily accessible retail unit in The Arcade, off Market Place.
Postmistress Amy Kaur, told The Stray Ferret:
“We have wanted to move for some time, because the steps outside our current premises make access difficult for the elderly, disabled, wheelchair users and people with children in prams and pushchairs.”
The city’s Post Office (pictured) has been in Finkle Street for more than 60 years and over the last six decades the services it provides have evolved.
Amy, pointed out:
“In additional to selling postage stamps, accepting parcels for delivery, paying out pensions, handling passport and driving licence applications and car tax renewals, we provide financial services ranging from travel currency to business banking and cash and cheque transactions.”
The new unit in The Arcade, which has street-level access, will be fully operational by September, when Amy and her colleagues Raj Raj, Sue Lewis and Gordon Royle move to the new location.
As well as providing the full range of Post Office services, the office will include a Quidz In value store.
A key element of the service provided is also expanding – as the mobile Post Office unit headed by Gordon Royle, now covers 22 towns and villages in the Ripon area, with the possibility of a further two locations to be added.
Gordon, said: “During the current coronavirus crisis, when many people living in rural communities remain isolated in their homes and unable to travel to Ripon, the mobile service has grown in popularity.”