Harrogate's new campaign to support and welcome disabled customers as BID joins forces with Disability Action Yorkshire

Supporting Disability Action Yorkshire - Harrogate BID Manager, Matthew Chapman; The Cheeseboard owner, Gemma Aykroyd; and Disability Action Yorkshire Chief Executive, Jackie Snape.

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For the organisation, whose remit is to increase footfall in Harrogate town centre, has funded a set of 250 stickers for Disability Action Yorkshire to give to shops, bars and restaurants, saying they welcome disabled customers

The stickers are part of the charity’s ongoing accessibility campaign, which has recently seen it working with independent retailers on Commercial Street, as they hope to cash in on the ‘Purple Pound’ – the consumer spending power of disabled people and their families, which is estimated to be worth £249 billion to the UK economy.

Disability Action Yorkshire Chair Jackie Snape said: “I’d like thank Harrogate BID for funding these widow stickers, which will alert disabled people to the fact these businesses have a different approach to accessibility.

“What they say is if people can’t physically enter the premises, then staff will be more than happy to come out to them, which more and more shops are now happy to do.

“We have recently been working with Commercial Street businesses, and they have been incredibly receptive to our accessibility campaign, and this is where our BID-sponsored stickers are first appearing.

“I’d like to thank Harrogate BID for their support in funding these window stickers, which we hope in the coming weeks and months will be appearing in shop windows throughout the town.”

Matthew Chapman, Harrogate BID Manager, said: “This is an excellent initiative by Disability Action Yorkshire, and we are delighted to fund these window stickers.

“One of our key aims is to increase footfall into Harrogate town centre by making safe, welcoming and accessible for all, and Disability Action Yorkshire’s accessibility campaign falls into all three of these categories.”

Further information about Disability Action Yorkshire, is available from its website, www.disabilityactionyorkshire.org.uk

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