New beach wheelchairs at Barry Island
All-terrain beach wheelchairs will soon be available
at Barry Island, giving even more visitors the chance to get on to
the sand at Whitmore Bay to enjoy the Blue Flag beach.
The Vale-based Intersensory Club h
as provided three
chairs, which can be pushed across sand without sinking thanks to
their wide wheels and unique design.
The chairs will be available for loan from the Tourist
Information Centre at Barry Island throughout the summer.
They will be free to hire out, with users just needing to
show one form of photo ID such as a passport or driving licence, or
two proofs of name and address such as a utility bill and a bank
statement.
ABOVE: Cliff Hayes’ grandson Joshua Cooper using one of the
new beach wheelchairs which are available for loan at Barry
Island.
Vital funding for the chairs has come from the National Lottery
- Awards for All Wales, Environment Agency - Splash Fund, The
Hedley Foundation and Dow Corning, while the Vale of Glamorgan
Council’s leisure and tourism department has worked closely with
the Intersensory Club on the project.
Cliff Hayes, treasurer of the Intersensory Club said: “The
club’s priority is to create a more inclusive community. These
all-terrain wheelchairs will make a huge difference to people
confined to wheelchairs, as conventional wheelchairs cannot access
the beach. We are extremely grateful to all of our sponsors and to
the Vale of Glamorgan Council who will administer the loan
scheme.”
Cllr Anthony Ernest, the Vale Council’s cabinet member for
leisure and tourism said “We are delighted that these chairs will
enable more visitors to enjoy our beautiful blue flag beach at
Whitmore Bay.”
Jonathan Coldman, community relations co-ordinator at Dow
Corning, said that the company actively supports the local
community around the plant, especially when it comes to their
health and wellbeing. He said: “We wanted to support the
Intersensory Club’s project precisely because it meets that
requirement. Through the loan arrangement we hope that many more
wheelchair users and their families will now be able to access the
joys of spending time on the beach at Barry as a result.”