Sandra Saltern, Assistant Recreation Ranger, Forestry Commission; Katie Davies, Communication Ranger, East Dorset District Council; Matthew Beavan, Visitor Services Ranger, East Dorset District Council and Tracey Churcher – Recreation Manager, Forestry Commission.

Moors Valley Country Park near Ringwood has added to its already impressive tally of tourism accolades by being awarded ‘Bronze’ in both the Access & Inclusivity and Sustainable Tourism categories of the 2016/17 South West Tourism Excellence Awards.

The new awards recognise the strides that the team at Moors Valley has made in ensuring it operates in an environmentally responsible manner and that everyone, whatever their age or ability, can enjoy the wide range of activities available at the Dorset park, one of the most-visited attractions in the south with over 750,000 visitors each year. The awards follow on from winning Gold in both categories of the Dorset Tourism Awards.

“Some of the biggest names in domestic tourism are based in the south west and we are thrilled that we can hold our head up in such exalted company,” said Clare Gronow, Team Leader at Moors Valley.

“We offer a unique combination of outdoor play, working forest, wonderful wildlife and healthy outdoor exercise and we aim to provide a friendly, accessible environment for all our visitors and the widest possible access to the Park and Forest whilst doing all we can to minimise the environmental impact of our operation. These awards are welcome recognition of our efforts.

“According to a 2016 research report*, tourism contributes over £10.5m to the south west economy with around 60% of this directly attributable to outdoor activities and visits. As one of the most visited country parks in the UK we are at the forefront of environmental tourism, running a minimum-impact sustainable business whilst having a responsibility to do everything we can to be accessible to all.”

The South West scheme is the biggest of its kind in the country attracting over 600 entries from Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Judges made 380 visits to entrants and held 24 hours of discussions before arriving at their decisions. Over 450 people representing more than 130 finalists attended the gala evening at Bristol’s Ashton Gate stadium to witness the presentation of twenty-six awards on 2 February.

Titanic Belfast – School Visit – 27th September 2016. Photograph by Declan Roughan

To mark World Tourism Day  (27 September) and celebrate its theme ‘Tourism for All – Promoting Universal Accessibility’, Castle Tower School, Ballymena, were invited to Titanic Belfast to be ‘tourists at home’.

The special event was hosted by Europe’s Leading Visitor Attraction to highlight and support this year’s theme during its Year of Access, which aims to highlight the issue of disability access in its many forms and encourage industry improvements when dealing with disabled travellers.

Castle Tower School, Ballymena, has been selected as Titanic Belfast’s education partner and will play a vital part in developing not only Titanic Belfast’s learning programme but its accessibility during its Year of Access.  The World Tourism Day celebrations was the first activity of the on-going two year partnership were the school will get to experience the world-class education programme, trialling new and existing activities at no cost to themselves.

Judith Owens, Titanic Belfast’s Director of Operations said, “We are delighted to be supporting this year’s World Tourism Day celebrations with our new partner school, especially during our Year of Access.  With one in five potential customers in the UK having a disability and as one of the UK’s most accessible attractions, we are committed to further developing our five-star customer service by ensuring that all our visitors’ access requirements are not only fully met but exceeded. We are very much looking forward to working with Castle Tower School to develop this and further our learning offering. We hope that our example will inspire the tourism industry locally, nationally and internationally to do more to better cater for disabled travellers.”

Castle Tower Geography Teacher, Paula Morgan, said, “We are delighted to be Titanic Belfast’s new partner school. Titanic Belfast is a unique learning resource, right on our doorstep. The whole school is really looking forward to not only learning more, going back in history and exploring the oceans with Titanic Belfast but also helping them develop their accessibility offering during its Year of Access.”

Titanic Belfast’s Learning Team is supported by the Survitec Group, a leading manufacturer of marine, defence and aerospace survival technology. Titanic Belfast has welcomed over 100,000 pupils since opening in 2012 and was recently awarded the prestigious Sandford Award for Heritage Education 2015.

This learning partnership is just one of the initiatives Titanic Belfast, which has welcomed over 3 million visitors from over 145 countries, is undertaking as part of its Year of Access. The world-class visitor attraction has already been listed by SAGA and the Rough Guide to Accessibility Britain as one of the most accessible attractions in the UK. For more information, visit www.titanicbelfast.com.

A new project aimed at opening up museums and culture to people with sight loss in the South East of England has launched.

The Heritage Lottery Funded ‘Sensing Cultures’ is a partnership project between the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) and a number of heritage organisations. The five external partners are:

• The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge and Canterbury Cathedral
• The Booth Museum of Natural History, Brighton
• The Conan Doyle Archive, Portsmouth
• Lewes Castle
• Oxford University Museums

The project aims to increase independence for visitors by training staff and volunteers at the heritage sites to understand the impact of sight loss and think about the ways they can support people to make the most out of their experience.

At a launch event in London each organisation showcased plans to make their sites and collections more accessible for blind and partially sighted visitors through audio, tactile and sensory exhibitions and tours.

Lewes Castle shared their ‘soundscape’ project which provides an audio trail to represent the views that sighted visitors would see from the top of the castle. The RNIB tactile mapping team also displayed maps they have worked on with previous museums and provided information on how others could get involved.

Lindsey Holmes, RNIB’s Project Manager for Sensing Cultures, said:

“This was a really important day for all of the project partners as it marks the start of an exciting adventure.

“It was wonderful to be joined by so many people from a wide range of museums, charities and societies who all have a common aim of creating a more inclusive society.

“We are grateful to the heritage lottery fund without whom this project would not have been possible.”

The sites will now make their plans come to life as they begin to develop their exhibitions and meet the aims of their projects. RNIB will provide sight awareness training to front of house staff and offer support to the partners each step of the way.

To find out more about Sensing Cultures please email Lindsey on Lindsey.Holmes@rnib.org.uk.

Over 250 companies and venues, across eleven countries, have pledged their support for Disabled Access Day on 12 March 2016, an initiative that aims to encourage disabled people, their friends and families to get out and about and visit somewhere new together.

The Queen’s former floating palace, The Royal Yacht Britannia, permanently moored in Edinburgh, is one of the UK’s Top 3 Attractions (TripAdvisor) and Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction for 10 years’ running (VisitScotland), as well as an exclusive evening events venue. Britannia’s tour of 5 decks is accessible for wheelchair users, with lifts and ramps throughout, and is classed as Category 1, the highest level for wheelchair access, without assistance, by VisitScotland.

On Disabled Access Day, visitors to The Royal Yacht will be able to take advantage of a 20% discount on admission, to be downloaded from Britannia’s website, and carers go free.

Chief Executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia, Bob Downie said, “As Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction for 10 years’ running, delivering excellent customer service is at the heart of everything we do and is driven by the ambition to provide the highest possible standards of customer experience to everyone, regardless of age or ability.”

The latest development for 2016 is the creation of a tour for those with Autism and Learning Disabilities and Britannia is currently working with a specialist consultant on aids which can be used, prior to visiting, and also when on board.

Other Edinburgh attractions taking part on the day include the National Galleries of Scotland, Camera Obscura and the National Museum of Scotland.

For more information and for a full list of partners, locations and events, visit www.disabledaccessday.com.