MyMiltonKeynes launches city centre accessibility guide - plus AccessAble grant for businesses

Commissioned by MyMiltonKeynes (My-MK), the city’s Business Improvement District (BID), the guide covers seven key areas: The Hub, centre:mk, Midsummer Place, 12th Street, The Place Retail Park, Xscape and Unity Place. It provides detailed information on step-free routes, hearing loops, Changing Places toilets, quiet spaces and more, all verified by trained surveyors and featured on the AccessAble website and app, which is used by over six million people a year.

Tim Davies, Camphill MK CEO/MK DAD partner said: “Visiting a City Centre like Milton Keynes can be a complex issue if you have a disability or are visiting with someone else who does. Transport arrangements, level access routes, access to toilets that are themselves accessible and many other issues that most of us take for granted can make the difference between a successful and pleasant experience and a difficult and distressing day.

“AccesAble website guides can give people the knowledge and information they need prior to setting off and can of course increase people’s confidence to get out and about!

“We are all really pleased to hear that MyMiltonKeynes has taken such an inclusive stance on accessibility and hope that the assessment leads to much greater continued accessibility and positive outcomes for our wonderfully diverse city”

The launch is part of the award-winning ‘Our Purple City’ initiative, which aspires to make Milton Keynes one of the UK’s most inclusive and accessible Cities. The BID is now inviting local businesses to build on this work by commissioning their own AccessAble Detailed Access Guides, and has created a dedicated toolkit and match-funded grant scheme to support them.

Jill Farnsworth, Chief Executive of My-MK, said: “We’re encouraging and supporting our BID member businesses in getting their own AccessAble Guides because we see accessibility as absolutely vital to the future of our City Centre. This isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s also good business. With the Purple Pound worth £274 billion, improving accessibility isn’t a box-ticking exercise, it’s a smart investment that opens the door to more customers, more loyalty, and more inclusive growth.”

To explore the Milton Keynes AccessAble Guide: www.accessable.co.uk/places/milton-keynes. The City Centre guide is also now integrated directly into My-MK’s consumer-facing website https://mymk.cc, making it easier than ever to find accessibility information alongside venue listings, events and local guides and offers.

To request a toolkit or apply for a grant, businesses should contact: [email protected]