🧢 Access and inclusion: priorities in design and transformation of Market Hall
When the newly redeveloped Derby Market Hall opens in the spring, it will be one of the most accessible and inclusive public buildings in Derby ,and the wider region. Access and inclusion has been a key priority throughout the entire design and £31.5m transformation of the historic building. This means that the Market Hall and its surrounding areas, will be easily accessible and inclusive to all visitors. The redevelopment includes a new lift to provide seamless access between the ground and first floors. The flooring has been levelled to facilitate step free access, removing any barriers, and creating an inclusive public space. A key addition to the Market Hall’s new facilities is the installation of a changing places toilet, which is the fifth in Derby’s city centre. These larger than standard toilets are equipped with extra features such as hoist, changing bed, shower and height adjustable wash basin. Additionally, the lighting has been designed at the correct lumens to improve visibility. Fixtures, fittings and furniture have also been specifically coloured contrasted to enhance accessibility. Outside the Market Hall, Osnabruck Square has been transformed with accessibility and inclusion in mind. Featuring new inclusive benches with arm rests to assist with getting on and off, the outside space will also be accessible. A modern linear drainage system has also been installed to remove surface water, ensuring a smooth experience for all. Osnabruck Square will also feature three designated blue badge parking spaces.
🧢 This week’s ‘Top Pick’ @WeightmanPR: The Ardennes Regional Nature Park
Blessed with some of the densest woodlands in France, and boasting an officially designated Regional Nature Park - or Parc Naturel Régional (PNR) - The French Ardennes offers itself to visitors as a natural setting for a wide range of outdoor activities. In total, there are just 59 PNRs across the whole of France. Officially designated in 2011, and located to the north and north-west of its capital, Charleville-Mézières, the Ardennes’ PNR features some outstanding landscape in a unique geological setting and with a strong cultural identity. The over-riding aim of the PNR status is to protect its landscape and heritage - as well as to establish more sustainable economic development for the area. It’s something that The French Ardennes is now especially keen to promote: that this is one of the greenest and most remote parts of the country; with a great choice of holiday destinations for anyone keen on a whole range of outdoor pursuits.
🧢 Hurry on Up to Penkhull Village
The John Wain Celebration Event will be held in Penkhull Village Hall on Friday 14 March. The locally born novelist and poet first became a household name after the huge success of his first book in 1953: Hurry on Down. Linked closely to the centenary of Stoke-on-Trent achieving city status, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Wain will be marked through words and music. With readings from his novels and poems by his sons, Will an Ianto, by actors Sean O’Callaghan, Ray Johnson and Virginia Johnson, along with music from the Boat Band and Clay Chorus, tickets cost £10 per head for an evening scheduled to run from 7.30 to 10pm.
🧢 Brilliant Bamboo looks for a home in Stoke
A North Staffordshire organisation, which aims to explore the use of bamboo for the benefit of communities, and the planet, is looking for land in Stoke where they can create a small park. Brilliant Bamboo is the brainchild of Gemma Thomas. Once planted with bamboo in moveable planters, the aim is to use the community ‘parklet’ to explore sustainability, creativity and the impact on the environment, including whether bamboo can improve air quality in an area which traditionally has had high levels of pollution. Other plans for the prospective site include art, science, nature and physical activities for all ages, as well as developing environmentally positive projects that improve the land, remove carbon and support native biodiversity.