A new partnership with Heritage Ability
The Platform Lift Company Ltd is supporting Heritage Ability, a three-year Heritage Lottery funded project run by the charity Living Options Devon. This project aims to improve the visitor experience for people with disabilities at 20 heritage sites across the South West of England.
With this new partnership in place the award-winning Heritage Ability project can now offer selected heritages sites a free site survey by the Platform Lift Company. This will enable the sites to discover if an access solution such as a platform lift can be installed and whether it is a viable option for their property.
A report will be made available to the heritage sites giving the findings of the site survey; in cases where a platform lift cannot be installed the report will list the reasons why it’s not possible. Where a platform lift can be installed, site-specific drawings will also be included at no extra cost as part of The Platform Lift Company’s support for the Heritage Ability project.
The Platform Lift Company has successfully installed access solutions within numerous heritage destinations including museums, theatres, castles and historic houses. Physical barriers like steps and a difference in levels have been overcome with a platform lift, without affecting the integrity of a listed building or heritage landscape.
"By working with Heritage Ability, we can help these heritage sites discover whether they can improve their accessibility with the installation of a platform lift. The report and site-specific drawings mean they are equipped with the information they need for planning organisations such as English Heritage and funding applications," says Sean O’Sullivan, Manager Director of The Platform Lift Company.
Heritage Ability has already won Best Heritage Project at the 2018 National Lottery Awards. This new offer of support from the Platform Lift Company will bring even more benefits to the project which aims to implement staff training and solutions to improve the visitors experience for people with disabilities and deaf people (who use BSL) at heritage sites.
Maryann Soper, Project Manager of Heritage Ability says, "having the support of the Platform Lift Company is a huge bonus to our project. Being able to rely on the experts, we are confident that if a solution is possible, then the team at Platform Lift will find it. It’s all about implementing those changes that make a big difference to people’s lives."
