Some Disabled people in Merton face barriers to enjoying town centres and public spaces. Our Access Champions are passionate about using their lived experience to make our community more accessible and inclusive for all.
We are very proud of recent work that saw our Access Champions collaborate with Merton Council to introduce step-free access to 9 businesses in Mitcham town centre. This work followed on from our response to Merton Council’s 2024 Mitcham Matters consultation, which asked for residents’ views on how to improve Mitcham town centre, and led to a meeting of the Access Champions and the Mitcham Town Centre Manager, Mark Warren.
At the meeting, one issue that came up was the inaccessibility of certain businesses in Mitcham and how this could be addressed. Then, over the course of a few months, Mark and the Access Champions co-produced a solution which involved, firstly, working out which businesses to prioritise, and secondly, engaging with these businesses to see if they were up for introducing a ramp. Finally, once the ramps were purchased and delivered, advice on how to deploy them safely was provided.
Our Policy and Campaigns Manager, Pippa Maslin, said:
‘When a shop, café or restaurant does not have level access or a ramp, this discriminates against users of mobility aids, as they cannot get inside the premises. Furthermore, the businesses lose out as well.
Merton CIL is certain that by making more of Mitcham step-free, many residents and visitors will have more choice and control over where they go and what they do. We hope that other local businesses in Merton will be inspired by the change.’
Watch Access Champion Simon Bruton speak about the project here.
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Read Merton Council’s statement here.
If you are a local Disabled person who is now able to use shops in Mitcham which you were unable to use before, we would love to hear from you.
Keep an eye on our website and social media for more updates on the successes of our Access Champions.