REDDITCH marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities at a special event on Tuesday at the Kingfisher Shopping Centre.
The ‘It’s A Sign’ choir performed along with Redditch groups, showcasing dance routines, playing skittles and boccia and celebrating the day with the Mayor of Redditch, Coun Juma Begum.
Coun Bengum said: “This is a fantastic event and it’s great we as a borough has marked it. But it is also sad that we still have a long way to go.
“This is particularly close to my heart, as my Mayoral charity is the Disability Support Project (DSP).
“Disability does not always start from birth – it can affect any one of us at any age, at any given time and I have much respect for anyone who is willing to support people with disabilities.
“Much more needs to be done in this field and DSP is a fantastic local project.”
The event was hosted by a partnership of Kingfisher Redditch and It’s A Sign Redditch and it was supported by a grant from Rediscover North East Worcestershire, Young Solutions, Chadsgrove School, and Redditch Borough Council.
Council leader, Coun Joe Baker, added: “We’re proud to support Redditch’s long history of being a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone. We are a community where lots of groups and organisations come together to support all our residents.”
The new Changing Places facility opened in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre earlier this year.
Changing Places are toilets designed for people who cannot use standard disabled toilets and they come with additional accessibility equipment, such as hoists and adult-sized changing benches.
It was enabled by a funding partnership of the shopping centre, Redditch Borough Council, Redditch BID, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Local para-athlete, Leanna Horne, was the driving force behind the facilities, and came out to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
She said: “To have a facility like this in the heart of the town is a major positive for the town.
“To be able to go for a day out in the centre, without having to worry if there will be suitable facilities available will allow lots of people like me, who need the extra assistance from a hoist etc to get out and enjoy what the town has to offer.”
