The Jockey Club has claimed a first for British sport by giving disabled people and carers detailed accessibility guides on its facilities through AccessAble, a leading provider of access information.
The online guides, which provide details of car parking spaces, viewing ramps, hearing loops and lighting levels, are available via The Jockey Club and AccessAble’s websites.
Today’s (Tuesday’s) announcement comes after extensive site visits to all 15 of the club’s racecourses and the historic Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket. The guides include dozens of images taken at each venue and are designed to help disabled people and carers make informed decisions on where best to book tickets, ensuring an enhanced raceday experience.
Paul Fisher, chief executive of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “We have posted information about access at our courses on our own websites for many years. But as society’s needs change we have been listening to our racegoers who want more information before visiting our courses. We hope that, by partnering with AccessAble and making even more of this information so easy to find online, people will be able to make their own choices on the best areas of our venues to visit and book tickets for our racedays with confidence.
“AccessAble’s meticulous analysis of our facilities over many months, from the car parks to the bars, restaurants and other areas, now give those who are visiting or considering visiting our 15 racecourses and the Jockey Club Rooms an incredibly thorough and detailed guide.
“I have no doubt that this will help improve the raceday experience for many of the 4 million people who visit our courses each year, both on racedays and for conferences and other non-racing events, especially those with very specific access requirements.”
The Jockey Club stages high-profile events such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Grand National and The Derby, and it has become the first sports organisation to partner with AccessAble, whose partners also include retailers such Marks & Spencer and Next.
AccessAble operated under the name DisabledGo for 18 years before rebranding last month. AccessAble chairman Barry Stevenson said the company hopes other organisations in UK sport will follow the lead of The Jockey Club and introduce similar initiatives.
Image: Carine06
