Ryde Town Council has announced a new partnership with Unlimited Island and Ryde Beach Lifeguards designed to make Ryde beach accessible to everybody.
Together the partnership will seek grants and sponsorship to provide accessible equipment on Ryde Beach.
Ryde is the largest town on the Isle of Wight with 5 miles of sandy beaches but a lack of accessibility means that many residents and visitors are excluded from enjoying it if they require wheelchairs, mobility scooters or require walkers.
In consultation with local accessibility champions Isle Access, Unlimited Island and the IoW Council, the ambition is to install non-slip matting that can be used to create an access route on the sand for pedestrians, families with pushchairs and people with limited mobility or in wheelchairs. In addition to this, we wish to offer raised sunbeds and most importantly, beach and water wheelchairs.
In addition to the beach accessibility equipment, we are investigating the possibility of a Changing Place modular unit placed next to existing public conveniences and near to the new access matting. This would allow wheelchair users to change and transfer into a beach/water wheelchair with dignity and have the peace of mind that a suitable toilet option is within reach.
Ryde Town Council have allocated an initial £10,000 grant and this has been matched by a further contribution of £10,000 from the Isle of Wight Council but further funding is needed to advance the project and we aim to explore all options available.
In addition to this Ryde Beach Lifeguards have been successful in their application for a beach accessible wheelchair for this season. This is a fantastic step forward for the project and a wonderful opportunity for individuals to enjoy Ryde Beach this summer.
Claire Walker of Unlimited Island said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of this project as the Island is in desperate need of beaches which can be enjoyed by everybody, residents and tourists alike. I’d like to thank Ryde Town Council and the Beach Lifeguards for their support with this project and look forward to seeing the end outcome – perhaps expanding the project to other beaches around the Island going forward.”
Lisa Dyer, Town Clerk said:
“We strongly believe that nobody should feel excluded due to lack of access to facilities. Therefore, we want to make one of the most popular stretches of the beach accessible to wheelchair users, and people who may have additional mobility requirements, so they too can enjoy beach days and a swim with their friends and family.”
as long as they don’t destroy the beach experience for all able bodied people by putting matting all over the sand.
sometimes you just have to accept…wheelchairs aren’t made for sand.
well said jessip
common sense – a sandy beach area is just that, a sandy beach area – people with walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, mobility scooters should stay off it, as they will get stuck or injure theirselves further. Covering the sand, just ruins it for those that can enjoy it and putting a matt over the sand, means you aren’t on the beach – might as well be on the pavement
So we should make people in wheelchairs be dragged on the sand or if they can use their hands to pull themselves across to get into the water have you no humanity
or they just accept the fact that sand is not the environment for a wheelchair and not bother going on it, rather than expect able bodied people to have to pander to them and create a pavement on the beach at their time and expense.
Wayne – if you know anyone who thinks that those with disabilities shouldn’t access the beach I would very much like to challenge them to a swimming race!!
Don’t be silly this is a great thing and they are hardly likely to cover the whole beach where would they keep thousands of mats for once the council are doing something good
Logically, I suppose, the plastic matting would have to go all the way into the sea and given how far the tide goes out at Ryde that’s going to be a hell of a lot of matting.
Plus, who is going to be pulling these pieces of equipment in and out of the water and up the beach? Not the lifeguards, I hope, or are they going to be on a winch?
Pulling a somewhat portly person up the beach against an outgoing tide is going to be one hell of a job for someone.
Whilst a fantastic initiative.. has anyone mentioned the recent Southern Water situation and the discharges ? Pop up Bob was taking this up with Southern Water ??
It would be interesting to hear from some wheelchair users if they would want to use these.
Is the idea that the person gets off the piece of equipment and floats or swims in the water and then gets back on to be removed? Or do they just sit on this and basically just have a bath outdoors?
And, how far into the water does it go, just to the edge or fully immersed? And who is going to be pulling these up and down the beach, because that sounds like a lot of hard work?
It’s about time I love to swim in the open sea, and swim 2 km in under 45mins. many other disabled may not have use of their legs and arms but are strong swimmers it is written in the equalities act that the local authority have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustment for those with disability.
ok then matt – may i remind you, that those “reasonable adjustments” always include an able bodied person being expected to help you or layout something for you – instead of barking orders, please remember – able bodied people are not put on this earth just to pander to you and can quite easily say no, as and when they please – where would you be then, without able bodied assistance.
1 – I’m an engineer and have come up with designed engineered solutions to all mobility problems
2- By protecting those with disability you are providing protection for yourself and love ones from a possible future.
3-This is the law of this land if you don’t like it you can always try and change it.
4-I have found the help I gave others whilst able has paid dividends now I’m disabled, something you may like to consider.
it may have been decided by a few people in parliament about reasonable adjustments, but that doesn’t compel any individual to help – you can put all the laws you want in place for anything, but if people exercise their right not to apply for a job as a carer, or simply won’t help, as they do not have to under their right to freedom of choice, then there is precious little a council or authority can do, if no able bodied person is willing to take up the job to do the work that provides the support or make the reasonable adjustments. If no one applies to be a carer/support worker – no support is provided.
these types of “laws” rely on a lot of goodwill and able bodied career choices to actually be workable.
What a disgusting comment, there’s plenty of able bodied people on here that get into trouble on the beaches often through there own stupidity the lifeguards/coastguards etc have to help them. Can’t believe people on here are nearly crying just because a disabled person may enjoy to be wheeled down to the waters edge and enjoy to feel the sea like everyone else can. I’d gladly help push/pull a wheelchair to help.
Some of the ignorant bigoted, comments here could be considered a hate crime. I use wheelchair one adapted for the sand and crutches and would challenge anyone to keep up with me swimming in the sea over 2 miles
And having made the beach more accessible what are they going to do about the disgusting and filthy self cantered dog owners who drive and walk down to the beach to use it as their dog toilet every day especially early in the mornings in defiance of the byelaws forbidding it.
Don’t worry too much about it reg, the tide will come up and wash it away