Access to nature brings significant benefits for both our mental and physical wellbeing. Did you know that spending just 20 minutes outdoors can lower stress hormone levels in the body (Frontiers in Psychology)? Time spent outside can also improve physical health and create more opportunities to connect with others.
However, for some people, getting outdoors is not as simple as putting on a pair of shoes and heading out the front door. For people living with disabilities, accessing their favourite outdoor spaces can be extremely challenging, both physically and mentally, particularly accessing nature in more rural environments where there can be various barriers to overcome.
Sue, from Sea Palling, who lives with Multiple Sclerosis, shared her experience with us:
“Sea Palling has always been one of my favourite places to walk, but in recent years I have found it very difficult to access the beach. Generally, I find seeing the sea at all more difficult, as there are only two or three places in Norfolk with suitable promenades for my mobility scooter.”
Better access for more people
At Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape, we want to help more people enjoy and access our coast. So, when Becky Furr, Parish Clerk for Sea Palling & Waxham Parish Council, got in touch with the idea to improve accessibility, we wanted to do everything we could to help make it happen.
Sue contacted Becky after she returned from a holiday where she had used a beach wheelchair for the first time. Reflecting on the experience, Sue said: “It transformed our holiday and made me feel normal and involved again.”
Thanks to funding from our National Landscape Access for All programme, Sea Palling & Waxham Parish Council could purchase two multi-terrain beach wheelchairs. These wheelchairs will give people with mobility needs greater independence and easier access to the beach, allowing them to safely reach the shoreline and enjoy the coast in a way that may previously not have been possible.
Sue says: “It feels like normal life for a change.”
Where to find the Chairs
The wheelchairs are securely stored by Sandy Hills Snack Bar and Amusements. You can find the booking system here.
Inclusion on Our Coast
Enabling access at Sea Palling supports our vision on making the Norfolk Coast more welcoming and accessible to a wider range of visitors.
Other recent accessibility improvements on our coast include the installation of Brancaster and Holkham boardwalks, along with interpretation panels on our Norfolk Coast Path National Trail.
Find out more about how we are helping to create a coast for everyone here.
