2 weeks Ago
Two councillor hopefuls are calling for boardwalks to make the beach more accessible to disabled people. Michelle White, who is standing for town council, and Alison Terry, who is standing for district council, are the Labour candidates for the Bognor Regis Marine ward. They are calling for a boardwalk to be installed on Bognor beach to allow pushchair and wheelchair access, similar to those which have been successfully implemented in Brighton and Bexhill.
Michelle, who has a disability and requires a walker, often hires a mobility scooter in Brighton so that she can enjoy spending time on the beach. Read more: Bexhill beach garden improves access for disabled residents Alison was an engineer for 20 years as well as working as a maths teacher. Bexhill Beach Garden has been a great success (Image: JTP53 Photography) She said: “The council has tried to implement something before, but it was more about getting disabled people to the water – that’s a laudable aim but a lot trickier than what we’re suggesting.
“The pebbles are stacked up quite high to the promenade so for people in wheelchairs, who are lower down, on the promenade, they can’t even see the sea. “Disabled people are limited to going up and down the prom without feeling they’re on the beach. It’s about making the beach environment more disability friendly.
“When I was teacher, I was always wanting to show good practice. It’s about looking at good practice in places like Brighton to see what we should be doing. If there is good stuff happening elsewhere, let’s copy it.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Colin Dearmer was finally able to go on to the beach for the first time in Bexhill (Image: Submitted) “I’m a very can-do person. Someone somewhere has solved it, and we can go to other authorities and seeing how they’ve dealt with it.
“We have sent people to the moon, I’m sure we can do a board walk.” At the soft opening of Bexhill Beach Garden in November, wheelchair and walker users were able to walk along the new structure, which includes a ramp, boardwalks and 'lily pad' style decking areas. Colin Dearmer, who cut the ribbon, has lived in Bexhill for 18 years and over the years has watched his family enjoying the beach, whilst he stayed on the promenade.
He was finally able to go down to the beach for the first time..
