Nominations are open for the BBS Awards 2016 and we want to know what you think! Can you suggest a favourite venue, a stylish place with good access and facilities, somewhere that welcomes people with disabilities? Then we want to hear from you. It can be from anywhere.
The third Blue Badge Style Awards will be announced on 5th October 2016 and will include new awards for the hospitality sector. In addition to our 3 ticks for facilities, access and style and we’ll be giving out awards for the:
- Best Venue in a Listed Building
- Most Accessible Bar (upmarket & budget)
- Most Accessible Restaurant (upmarket & budget)
- Most Accessible Hotel (upmarket and boutique)
- Best Disabled Loo
- Most Ludicrous Loo
- Best European Venue
- Above & Beyond – for the venue or company who has made a special effort
The Blue Badge Style Awards will recognise the effort that stylish hotels, restaurants and bars have made to attract guests with disabilities. At Blue Badge Style we are passionate about helping people with disabilities to lead and exciting social life. As those of us with a disability know; style remains, despite disability. The awards are about promoting stylish venues which also have good access and facilities.
Some of the things we look for in a great venue are:
Access – we’re interested in ramps, unaided access, flooring, space to move around in a wheelchair or with a stick, noise levels which aid people with hearing difficulties.
Facilities – where is the disabled loo, how easy is it to use, is everything at the right height, where are the grab rails, emergency cord etc. If it’s a hotel we want to hear about places with walk-in showers and wardrobe rails at wheelchair-user height.
Stylish – only you can decide what’s stylish, but we want to hear about venues with style in terms of décor and the welcome the staff extend to people with disabilities.
You can send as much or as little information as you wish and photos are always good. The judges will vet the suggested venues either by visits or remotely with detailed questionnaires. However, it’s your recommendation that counts above all else!
We also want to hear about your experience of ludicrous loos. Have you come across a supposedly disabled toilet that’s impossible to use because it’s full of junk, too small, used as a storeroom? Then let us know and send an image if you can.
Too often people with disabilities don’t go out because they don’t know what to expect when they get there. We want your help to change that and award those stylish places with great access and facilities, which welcome people with disabilities.
Please send your recommendations to: fiona@bluebadgestyle.com or contact us on Twitter: @bluebadgestyle or Facebook: bluebadgestyle
Nominations close on Thursday 15th September 2016. Looking forward to your thoughts and please come to the event and celebrate with Paralympians, cocktails, canapes and music…..more details to follow.