Blind sports coach and Bromley’s Mayor to launch Disability Awareness Week at the Glades
Blind sports coach and Bromley’s Mayor to launch Disability Awareness Week at the Glades.
Charitable organisations, government agencies and disability suppliers are all gearing up to help make the inaugural Disability Awareness Week at Bromley’s shopping centre a success.
Taking place from 5-11 July, the Glades’ Disability Awareness Week will raise the profile of the needs of the disabled and infirm in the town. The week of events will be officially launched at 11.00am on Monday 5 July by local man, James O’Driscoll – Britain’s first blind CYQ qualified fitness instructor – along with the Mayor of Bromley, Councillor George Taylor, and Graham Arthur, Executive Councillor for Adult and Community Services.
Says Maria Cooper, Marketing Manager for the Glades, “We’re delighted that James O’Driscoll will be launching this exciting new event, along with the Mayor of Bromley, Councillor George Taylor. Since losing his sight unexpectedly twelve years ago, James has built a new life as a personal trainer with Virgin Active here in Bromley and is a truly inspirational figure.”
Adding sparkle to the launch event will be members of Magpie Dance – the award-winning dance company for people with learning disabilities, based at The Churchill Theatre – who will perform in a free, interactive workshop with anyone who wishes to join in and dance between 11.00am and 12 noon!
The Glades’ Shopmobility partner, Scooter & Mobilitymart, will play a key role in the week-long event, hosting displays and demonstrations of mobility vehicles, wheelchairs, powered beds, stairlifts and a whole host of aids for daily living such as walking sticks, grab rails and kitchen devices. As well as the launch, Monday 5 July will see Bromley Mencap explaining their services for those with learning disabilities, while Pride Mobility will give advice on purchasing electric riser/recliner chairs.
On Tuesday 6 July, Kent Association for the Blind will offer interactive trials so that shoppers can experience first-hand the difficulties encountered by blind people when carrying out everyday tasks such as filling a cup or finding the right coins. In addition, Disability Voice Bromley and X By X – two independent organisations that represent the views of physically disabled people and their carers and lobby local government on social care issues – will be talking to shoppers about their work and the needs of their members. Also present will be Deaf Access, a local charity that helps deaf and hard of hearing people to improve and maintain their independence by providing information and support.
On Wednesday 7 July, the Glades will be welcoming the London Borough of Bromley’s Specialist Support and Disability Service, who will explain the various support mechanisms that are available for local families with a disabled child – including short breaks that enable the child to have an enjoyable social experience, while providing a valuable break for the carer. Then on Thursday 8 July, the charity Headway will be in the centre, providing information on the services available to those affected by brain injuries.
Age Concern Bromley, one of the beneficiaries of last year’s Glades Charity Appeal, will return to the shopping centre on Friday 9 July to give advice on concerns for the elderly, alongside Bromley Borough Council’s Adult & Community Services Team. Representatives of Bromley District Talking News, the charity that makes printed news accessible for blind and visually impaired people, will also be in the centre. Plus there’ll be advice on bath lifts from leading supplier, Drive Mobility.
Bromley District Talking News will be present again on Saturday 10 July, which also sees the welcome return of another beneficiary of the 2009 Glades Charity Appeal. Bromley Deaf Children’s Society – whose members experienced an exclusive ‘meet & greet’ with the leading street dance troupe DIVERSITY back in November – will be back at the Glades to teach shoppers some sign language.
Win a travel scooter or a wheelchair
Shoppers are invited to take part in the Glades’ Disability Awareness Week Free Prize Draw for the chance to win a fabulous, Rascal Eco 4 motorised travel scooter or a Rascal 135 aluminium wheelchair, supplied courtesy of Scooter & Mobilitymart and Electric Mobility respectively. To enter, readers simply need to fill in a form at Customer Services at the Glades or complete their details on line at www.theglades.uk.com.
Experience the ease of Shopmobility
Last autumn, the Glades invested in a major refurbishment of its Shopmobility Centre, which provides free hire of scooters and wheelchairs for disabled or infirm shoppers, as well as validation of tickets for free car parking and advice on all the facilities for the disabled within the centre. Located on car park level one, the service is operated by experienced local supplier, Scooter & Mobilitymart, which supplies an incredible range of over 15,000 mobility aids.
Scooter & Mobilitymart is an established, family-run business, which has served the local community for almost a decade. Comments Sean Scrowther, Director of Scooter & Mobilitymart, “We’re delighted that the Glades is hosting the Disability Awareness Week. Over 5000 customers regularly use the Shopmobility scheme here, so disabled and infirm shoppers are a key group and it’s very important that their needs are understood and their views are heard.”
The Shopmobility Centre is open from 8.30am to 5.00pm Mondays to Fridays, 8.30am to 7.00pm on Thursdays, 8.30am to 5.30pm on Saturdays and 10.30am to 4.00pm on Sundays.
