Plans to make the Technique Stadium the most accessible stadium in the UK have been boosted by the generous donation of a virtually brand new mobility scooter to Chesterfield FC Community Trust by Phil and Sylvia Tooley.
The scooter will be used by disabled participants who attend the various programmes being run by the Trust.
Phil, who is a familiar voice to supporters having commentated on Spireites matches for many years, explained how a conversation with the Trust’s head of sport & activities, Keith Jackson, led to the donation.
“Keith told me the story of a young lad particularly who uses a mobility scooter but isn’t able to bring it to the Camp Inspire days,” said Phil. “It means he has to walk around on his walking frame and it takes quite a lot out of him so it means that it’s a bit harder in the activities.
“It was a question of, ‘We’ve got got this mobility scooter, which is virtually brand new, would you like it?’ We were delighted to be able to help.”
Spireites director Jane Cooper, who is also a trustee of the Community Trust, thanked Phil and Sylvia for donating the mobility scooter and outlined the club’s accessibility aims.
“It’s such a very kind and generous donation that will make a difference to a lot of people and it will make the already really good accessibility at the stadium even better and enhance it further,” said Jane.
“The ambition is to make this the most accessible stadium in the UK and potentially the world and I don’t think that’s an over-ambitious sort of goal. I think it’s something that is achievable.
“We’ve already got an absolutely fantastic stadium in terms of the physical accessibility
and what we want to do is to add to that really good information for disabled people and the people who travel with them and also fantastic customer service.
“We’ll be thinking about really good leafleting, great website information that is accessible for all and training for all staff. We will also be consulting with disabled fans as well about what they actually want which will help them to have a really good experience here at the ground.”
Jane points out that people with all forms of disabilities will be taken into account. She said: “We’ll be looking at the whole spectrum of of disability so it will be people who’ve got a vision impairment, hearing impairment, mobility impairment autism, learning disabilities, dementia and mental health issues.
“We really want to embrace and welcome as many people as we possibly can to this fantastic stadium that we’ve got and make a showcase for what is possible in accessibility to other stadiums across the UK.
“The latest estimate is that there are 13.9 million disabled people in the UK and if you add on to that the people who travel with those people – their families, friends and companions – you suddenly realise that it’s actually a huge number of people.
“It’s absolutely vital that we do everything that we can to create a fantastic visitor journey from start to finish for anyone who wants to come and enjoy the football, either on their own or with their family and friends.”
Watch video here, featuring interviews with Phil Tooley, Jane Cooper and Joseph Morris.
*Photo shows Phil Tooley and Jane Cooper (back), pictured with Sylvia Tooley and Joseph Morris (Camp Inspire attendee), who is seated on the mobility scooter at the front.
