SKIPTON Building Society has joined forces with a national disability organisation to provide helpful information for disabled people in all of its branches.

Its partnership with AccessAble will allow people to view thorough and wide-ranging useful information, including everything from where the nearest disabled parking is to moving around within each of its premises.

And to highlight the start of the scheme they have enlisted the help of Paralympic Yorkshire athlete Hannah Cockcroft. The 26-year-old wheelchair sprinter, who won a total of five gold medals at the last two Paralympic games, has helped to make a short film which looks at some of the accessibility issues that disabled people face daily on the high street.

She said, “It actually really shocked me how inaccessible a lot of places on a typical high street are. I think that it’s important to point out that accessibility isn’t something that just affects people with a disability - anyone could break their leg and suddenly need access. A nd that’s when you realise just how important this is. Taking part in this film has demonstrated to me that if we don’t go and question inaccessibility, it is never going to change. The more people that raise their voices, the more things are going to change for the better.

“I’m really proud to partner with Skipton Building Society and to have their support on a situation that a lot of us face every day, but I can guarantee everyone will experience inaccessibility once in their life.”

A study of 2,000 adults with some form of mental or physical disability showed that more than four in 10 are unable to visit their local shops because there are facing barriers preventing a comfortable shopping experience. For many, just being in the presence of other people can make shopping a struggle, while a further five in 10 can’t cope with loud music played in-store. Narrow aisles, small doorways and end-of-aisle special offer display stands are also a nightmare for some.

The building society’s Jacqui Bateson said: “As a nation we are becoming more aware of the challenges and barriers disabled people face, but clearly there is still a long way to go, particularly on the high street.”