Purple Tuesday – the UK’s first accessible shopping day
Along with the Elmsleigh and Two Rivers shopping centres and Staines-upon-Thames Business Improvement District (BID), Spelthorne Council is supporting Purple Tuesday on 13 November.
Purple Tuesday is the UK’s first accessible shopping day which aims to encourage retailers to introduce a range of measures to improve the shopping experience for disabled visitors. As part of this initiative, the BID will be rolling out a programme of training and awareness raising over the next 12 months.
Spelthorne Borough Council provides accessible transport (Spelride) to help people with limited mobility fully access the shops and other facilities in Staines-upon-Thames. We also provide an annual grant of £15,000 to Shopmobility, a registered charity located opposite Vue Cinema, Two Rivers, which provides a range of mobility equipment such as power chairs, mobility scooters and manual wheelchairs for hire, and allow cars displaying a blue badge an extra hour to park.
Visitors can also call in to Marianne’s Café which is run by Surrey Disabled People’s Partnership and provides coffee, cakes along with information, advice and support for those in need. The café also has a fully accessible toilet.
Cllr Daxa Patel, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Compliance, said: “I am very pleased to support this important initiative which aims to make the shopping experience more inclusive and accessible for all. It’s not just about helping disabled people feel like valued customers, it’s the right thing to do.”
Spelthorne Borough Council offers a range of services to help older and disabled people lead active, independent and fulfilling lives. To find out more about accessible transport, Shopmobility, personal alarms, community centres, meals on wheels and more, visit www.spelthorne.gov.uk/older-people.
For further information about Marianne’s Café, visit www.sdpp.org.uk