Access Statement for Abbey Guest House
Abingdon,
Last updated:
4th January 2012
|
Contact Us Website: www.abbeyguest.com Email: info@abbeyguest.com
- usually checked 5 or more time per day / evening Telephone, Fax and Ansaphone: +44 (0) 1235 537020 Calls
using Text Relay, 18001 the Contents: - 1.
Access Summary and Floor Plans 2.
Physical Layout 3.
Latest News, Feedback and Future Plans 4.
Communication 5.
Locating Us and Getting Here 6.
Diet, Allergy Mobility, Sensory and Medical
Issues 7.
Information and Formats 8.
Car Park to Front Door and Reception 9.
Guest Rooms and Shared Facilities 10. ‘Easy
Access’ and ‘Allergy Friendly’ Bedrooms 11. Nearest
Shops and Pubs 12. Transport
Options 13. Emergencies
/ Exit / Assistance |
Access For All
|
1 – Access
Summary and Floor Plans
1a - Access Summary
Abbey Guest House is a quiet, 7 en-suite bedroom, non-smoking,
B&B Guest House converted from a 1970’s private house. Starting in 2006, it has now become one of the
most accessible small B&B’s in the country.
It has won many Awards, gained National Accessible System
‘standards’ in 2007 and 2009 and, most importantly, gained increasingly complimentary
reviews by disabled guests, from across the Globe.
Abbey Guest House is
now committed to providing access for all through ‘Inclusive Design’ and
commitment to the ‘Social Model of Disability’.
The full Access Statement is necessarily very wordy,
so some significant results are listed here in this Access Summary.
Some Modifications
and Buildings Works have included: -
·
Visitor parking
within 12 metres of front door is level and hard surfaced
·
Large ‘Blue Badge’
parking bay, which allows use of converted vehicles including those with rear
and side ramped access.
·
Ramp at front
door – maximum of 1 in 14 slope
·
Ground Floor ‘Easy
Access’ bedroom – Room 1 used by many full-time wheelchair users
·
Room 1 - Full en-suite
wet room to Part M layout including tonally contrasted grab rails
·
‘Allergy
Friendly’ bedroom with washable furnishings, hardwood flooring and daily vacuuming
Typical Auxiliary Aids available to guests:
·
Deafgard, vibrating and strobe light alarm and Dorgard’ door stops
·
Portable
table hearing loops and TV neck loop
·
Bed
rails, Travel cot, high chair and baby feeding utensils
·
Thick
handled cutlery
·
Camera-based
text magnifier,
·
Tonally contrasted
feature walls and light switches in bedrooms
·
Shower
wheelchair for wet room
·
Information
Folder in all Bedrooms and Large print copy always in Lounge
·
Tonally
contrasted colour scheme for feature walls, bed linen and carpets
·
Varied
diets like Coeliac and Dairy free catered for as well as Halal and Vegan
·
Braille
labels and Braille labeller to hand
Flexible and Responsive:
·
A choice
of Single, Twin, Double, Triple and Four bedded rooms possible
·
Furniture
easily moved around, taken away or added rooms to match requirements
·
All information
can be made available in choice of formats e.g. Large print, Braille and HTML
·
Cater
for varied diets and wide choice of breakfast food items available/with notice
·
Extra
time and consideration can be offered to assist guests with impairments.
·
Limited
personal support / carer assistance possible by arrangement
·
Local Mobility
Matters supplier able to sell, hire out, service, and repair equipment fast
e.g. room hoists
Awards received:
·
Trip Advisor - Awarded us 5 out of 5 by in 2011, with
score based upon Guest feedback comments; many specifically referring to the
accessibility of the Guest House.
·
Tourism South East - Access for All Awards: Gold
Winner in 2009. Silver Winner in 2011.
·
Enjoy
·
Vale Disability Access Group - Abingdon Access
Award 2009
Our Disabled Guests have
included:
·
Incomplete paraplegic double amputee from
·
Mobility scooter user holidaying from
·
A German group with learning and physical impairments,
and their carers
·
Profoundly deaf lady from
·
Gentleman with his Hearing Assistance Dog from
·
Persons with dietary requirements including Vegan,
Halal, Coeliac and Dairy-free.
·
Non weight bearing wheelchair users from
1b - Floor Plans
Location of Guest Bedrooms on First Floor – not to scale
2 - Physical
Layout
2a - Interior
The Guest House was built as a private home
in the 1970’s and has a Car Park frontage and rear garden lawn and patio. Inside are two floors, one at ground level
and the first floor above.
Ground
Floor
Front door (with vision panels) direct from
car park leads into hallway where guest umbrellas, Transport timetables, Local Visitor
Information and indexed street map of Abingdon are available. Leading off the hall is:
·
Easy Access - Room 1: twin Bedroom and wet room
with tonally contrasted grab rails
·
Door with vision panels into Lounge / breakfast
room with reception, guest self-dining facilities, hardback library and Tourist
Information
·
Kitchen and access to Private accommodation area
·
Flight of stairs to first floor.
·
Visitor toilet
Stairs
to First Floor
Eight steps, with left handrail, to landing
with feature window providing plenty of daylight.
Another seven steps with right handrail
reaches First Floor.
First
Floor
·
Choice of 6 bedrooms all with en-suite
shower-rooms.
·
‘Allergy Friendly’ – Room 6 double bedroom.
·
Separate guest bathroom
·
Paperback library.
Future plans: for a lift between floors is part
of an expansion project for Abbey Guest House.
2b – Front
and
This is now the car parking with bordering
trees, shrubs, flower tubs and hanging baskets.
The rear garden is reached through a solid gate
at the front of house along an 84cm wide concrete path extending 7 metres to
the lawn. The firm surfaced lawn then sweeps
around rising 11cm over 12 metres to the level of the patio which is surfaced
with concrete slabs.
A garden table has clearance below of 68cm
and the garden chairs have arm supports.
The garden is fully enclosed by fence and
hedges and allows secure storage of items like cycles or mobility scooters. The gate is normally kept securely locked and
garden visually isolated from public areas and fully overlooked from the Guest
House.
Stepped access from the Breakfast room includes
an18cm and 8cm step. Expansion plans
will see the removal of all steps and addition of solid path surfacing.
3 - Latest
News, Feedback and Future Plans
3a - Latest
News
Returning guests will
notice recent improvements including: -
·
Hardwood flooring throughout Entrance hallway and
Lounge/Breakfast room
·
Electric adjustable beds and Shower wheelchair for
the Room 1 -Easy Access Bedroom
·
Additional – ‘Allergy Friendly’ double en-suite
bedroom – Room 6
·
Additional small single en-suite guest – Room 7
·
Additional floor space in the Lounge/Breakfast room
and a new reception point
·
Food hygiene ‘Scores on the Doors’ rating of 4 out
of 5
·
‘Dorgard’
door stops that automatically release when smoke alarms are activated
·
Extensive reference menus from local restaurants
and take outs.
·
Increased Local Visitor Information
·
Comprehensive Bus timetables around Abingdon, to
·
Print out facility for the very latest train
timetables
New Facilities include: -
·
Greater use of internationally understood
pictograms
·
Simplified signs throughout
·
Route Guides to nearest shops and facilities
explaining dropped or lowered kerb options
·
New breakfast table with clear space between legs
of 69cm
·
Flat blade door lock latch in Easy Access Bedroom -
Room 1
·
Deafgard
alarm with vibration, strobe and text confirmation
·
Toy corner, along with travel cot, high chair,
plastic utensils and push chair storage
·
Guest Library of over 450 paperbacks and 250
Readers Digest condensed novels
·
Comprehensive range of electric plug adapters for
overseas guests
·
Luggage Scales to check weights before airport
check-in
·
Range of thicker handled cutlery that many find
easier to hold
·
Simpler layout to the Access Statement with less
repetition
3b - Feedback
Please do not hesitate to comment about barriers of a physical, sensory
or cognitive nature as we welcome all questions, requests and feedback to help
us improve our welcome to guests.
3c - Future
Plans
Planning permission has just been obtained to extend Abbey Guest House
to include: -
·
Extend lounge and guest breakfasting area
·
Remove threshold to patio as well as all garden
steps
·
Installation of a lift between the floors
·
Add full wet room to another bedroom
·
More colourful and scented plantings around the car
park and garden
4 - Communication
All guests are met
individually and given an escorted tour of their Bedroom and the shared
facilities at Abbey Guest House.
Language
English is used throughout and we can
accept, email, fax, handwriting, type.
A paper pad and pen is always kept to hand
for guests who prefer not to use speech.
Paperwork
All paperwork is presented to guests on a
clipboard to aid handling.
Telephones
All mobile
(cellular) phone services can be received in all rooms including T-Mobile,
Important or emergency calls can be dialled on behalf of guests, using a
cordless telephone in the breakfast room / lounge or hallway.
Internet Access, WIFI and
Skype
FREE WIFI internet access is available in all rooms. Guests can also use a PC in the lounge, which
also has Skype , Internet
Explorer and MS Office loaded. Headsets
are not provided for hygiene reasons but guests may connect their own.
Pictograms
Pictograms are used on: exit routes,
portable hearing induction loops, breakfast selection, Reception/Payments and
identifying grouped types of Visitor information like Bus Timetables, Places to
eat, Abingdon attractions and promotional leaflets for the wider region.
Braille
Braille is used on essential internal room switches
in the ‘Easy Access’ bedroom and to identify all cereals in breakfast room and
juices in guest fridge.
Braille labels can
be requested in advance as we have label printer supplied by the Royal National
institute for the Blind.
Raised / Engraved Lettering
/ Numerals
Outside the House number 136 is engraved
into slate at the car park entrance pillars and is repeated with raised brass
numerals on wooden block at front door.
Inside the bedroom door numbers are large
raised brass numerals on white background.
5 - Locating
Us and Getting Here
5a - Locate
Us
Abingdon
town is in central southern England, some 6 miles south west of the
University town of Oxford and 50 miles west North West of London.
Abbey Guest House
is located in the northern part of Abingdon, along the west side of
Our region is governed by Oxfordshire County
Council and more locally by the Vale
of White Horse District Council, and bordered by South Oxfordshire District Council to the
immediate East and South of Abingdon.
Click
the Abingdon map to find us on Streetmap with its’ range of different scale
maps.
5b - Getting Here
(see also Transport Options)
Click on RAC Route Planner for road
distances, travel times and directional guidance /maps.
Programming your Vehicle
Sat Nav
Town: Abingdon
Road:
Number: 136
Post Code: OX14
2AG
Latitude: 051° 41'
06.53” N
Longitude: 001° 16’
23.85” W
6 - Diet,
Allergy, Mobility, Sensory and Medical Issues
Bullet point lists the key features and equipment follow. Feel free to request further information and
always just indicate your wish to use any of the aids mentioned, if they are
not already to hand.
6a - Dietary
Issues
·
Vegetarian food items are always available for
breakfast
·
Other diets are best notified in advance and all
reasonable requests can usually be met
·
Food Hygiene - ‘Scores
on the Doors’ Rating of 4 stars out possible 5
6b - Allergy Issues
·
No Smoking throughout
·
All bedding used is Hyper allergenic
·
All linen and towels washed with non-biological
detergent
·
Hardwood flooring in the Hallway, Lounge/Breakfast
room, and ‘Allergy Friendly’ Room 6
·
Carpets are vacuumed each day
·
Normally dogs are only allowed if they are fully
trained Assistance, Hearing or Guide dogs
6c - Physical
Mobility Issues
·
See further detailed information under Car Park and
Easy Access Bedroom and Wet Room
·
Easy Access Ground floor bedroom with en-suite wet
room
Critical Dimensions – Gaps,
Widths, Turning Circles and Distances
These have been measured for clear usable gap width, surface
width or turning circles. The
measurements are given in centimetres (cm) and metres (100 cm). 2.4 centimetres equals one inch.
See also the ‘Plan of Guest Areas on Ground
Floor’ showing many key measurements
·
Path width from car park to rear garden lawn is
84cm and 7 metres long
·
Landing outside front door: 86cm deep behind pillars or 117cm deep
between the pillars
·
All thresholds and doormats are flush with floor
level including at the front door
·
The narrowest gap through any doorway is 76cm
·
19cm manoeuvring width to opening side of front
doors and Easy Access bedroom door
·
142cm turning circle in ‘Easy Access’ bedroom
·
140cm turning circle in ‘East Access’ wet room
·
120cm turning circle in Hallway
·
150cm turning circle available in Lounge /
Breakfast room
·
Gap in front of toilet to reach wash basin is 54cm
in Easy Access Wet Room
6d - Sensory Issues
Assistance, Hearing and
Guide Dogs
·
Fully trained Assistance, Hearing or Guide Dogs are
always welcome with their owners. The
rear garden is completely fenced in for security and suitable feeding and
drinking bowls are available.
·
Other dogs are generally only allowed by special
arrangement to limit any allergy issues
·
Dogs can be exercised along the service road or in
the local parks with dog areas.
·
All owners will be expected to clean up after their
dog with a plastic bag
Hearing and Acoustic Issues
·
Mobile induction
loops for hearing aid users with a ‘T’ – switch at reception and in lounge
·
A neck
induction loop that connects to the TV/DVD in any Guest bedroom
·
Deafgard
with vibrating, strobe and text alert
action for alarm clock and smoke alarm
·
Paper
pad, pen and clipboard constantly available at the Reception counter
·
Willingness
to converse via fax or email.
·
Abbey Guest House is very quiet, being set back
some 30 metres from the
·
Conifer hedge around the car park acts as a further
acoustic screen
·
Family sized rooms with standard ceiling heights
and all windows double glazed
·
Soft furnishings dampen any echo’s of the walls
·
Background music plays gently in the lounge / breakfast
room but can be turned off
·
Experience suggests conversations are not hampered
by acoustic noises or reflections
Vision and Lighting Issues
·
Large print information folder is always available
in Breakfast / Lounge
·
All exterior signs are high contrast and
illuminated automatically through the night
·
There are no glass screens to look through at
reception or elsewhere
·
Key
switches and items labelled with either a large font or a Braille label, sometimes
both
·
Camera based text magnifier for use with guest bedroom
TV screens or a computer screen
·
Access Statement and Information Folder available
in various sized print fonts
·
Computer file formats to enable use of screen reader
and speech synthesis software
·
Camera text magnifier that links to any guest bedroom
TV screen or a computer screen
·
All entrance doors have small glass panels in upper
half.
Colour Schemes and Tonal
Contrasts
·
Bedrooms have gold carpets, white ceilings and
cream walls with one dark red feature wall
·
Bedside
tables are birch with contrast dark green or dark grey glass surfaces
·
‘Easy
Access’ wet room with high contrast dark blue and blue features against white
walls
·
Bedroom
light switches are white with contrasting dark green fingerplate background
·
The hallway has
hardwood flooring, dark cream walls and white ceilings
·
Stairs and first floor corridor have Red carpet, cream walls and white
ceilings
·
The doors are white with contrasting brass handles
·
Bedroom furniture is birch contrasting against
white walls.
·
Bed linen is cream with a red and green poppy
pattern with dark red valance.
·
Arm chairs are white with contrasting dark red cushions/arm
protectors
Lighting
·
The hallway has a chandelier and down-lighters
·
The lounge/ breakfast room has ceiling pendants
lights, wall picture lights, a table lamp and a floor standard lamp and
benefits from natural daylight from the 350cm wide patio doors
·
The stairway and upstairs landing has down-lighters
and benefits from natural daylight from a 250cm high by 130cm wide feature
window
·
All bedrooms have large windows supplying plenty of
natural daylight
·
Guest bedrooms have ceiling pendant lamps and
either wall mounted bedside lights or individual bedside table lamps
·
En-suite bathrooms and wet room have down-lighters
and most have natural daylight
·
All have shaver points and lights over the wash
basin mirrors
·
No spot lights or windows face into guests eyes in
the hallway / reception area
6e - Mobility and Medical
Equipment Loan
The Red Cross offers a Medical Loan Service in Abingdon. They are based at Red Cross House,
Mobility and Medical
Equipment Repair and Purchase
Joncare is an Abingdon company that can arrange a
comprehensive range of equipment repairs and purchase as required. Also, temporary free loans whilst items are
repaired. Their Mobility Matters Independent Living Showroom is located at
Carer Support
Bedrooms 1 and 3 have twin beds.
See Floor Plans for location
Proprietor (Terry) is able to offer a limited amount of individual
assistance. She has over 40 years experience of first aid and care obtained as
a member of St John Ambulance if you wish to bring a carer / support person
with you. None of the rooms have
connecting doors.
7 -
Information and Formats
Abbey Guest House information is structured
for formatting in many ways and reading by software like Screen Readers.
By Default we provide:
·
A 12 point Arial copy of the Full Access Statement
and Guest Information Folder in every Bedroom,.
A 16 point Arial copy is kept in the lounge.
·
Between 16 and 20 point Arial for important notices,
dependant upon viewing distance.
·
Other font sizes and formats are produced by
request.
The hallway has an information display
holding a large range of printed information leaflets from a range of transport
and local attraction operators.
The Lounge has information leaflets from
Tourist operators across the region
There is a folder of reference menus for
Abingdon eateries and some in
Bus Timetables
Latest bus timetables are always available
for the buses passing through Abingdon or linking to
Train Timetables
Train timetables change so often, we will printed
off latest copy from the relevant Train Company website, when you stay as a
Guest.
Abbey Guest House Information
folder
A copy kept in every guest bedroom and a
large print copy in the breakfast room / lounge. The folder is split into several sections
including: -
·
The Guest House itself
·
Nearest facilities and services to Abbey Guest
House
·
Visiting Abingdon or
8 – Car Park
to Front Door and Reception
A large white sign with black text ‘Abbey
Guest House’ sign identifies us at the entrance to car park from the parallel
service road, 3 metres distant or the A4183 Oxford Road 21 metre distant.
There is a standard bell push button to left
of front door and all guests are met here on arrival.
8a - Car Park
The level parking area is surfaced in dark red brick paviers, with 6
bays are marked out with single dark grey brick lines and a 218cm wide pathway
marked to keep access to the ramped path clear of vehicles. The maximum distance from any point to the
front door is 12 metres.
One wide and longer bay is identified by a Blue Badge symbol to reserve
this bay and 218cm wide access path to base of ramp at front door. There is 120cm space to both sides of a car,
300cm for rear ramped access and 600cm plus for side access ramped vehicles
e.g. Chrysler Voyager MPV.
The service road outside the car park has access in both directions and
some kerbside parking. Persons using
larger vehicles or towing a trailer (Mobility Scooter?) may find this convenient,
as no reversing or manoeuvring in the car park is required. The distance to front door is then around 25
metres.
Abbey Guest House and 136 are written in very
large black letters on a white background above the porch. The words are automatically illuminated at
night.
A single 13cm high step up to a 117cm depth landing, assisted by white
coloured handrails either side leads from the car park level to the front door
and the Guest House floor level
A ramped approach alternative is adjacent, with a white coloured
handrail to the left side only. The ramp
has a 1 in 14 slope; up to a level turning platform for a right turn. Then up again to the level platform in front
of the door through an 87cm gap between white columns. The total ramped length
is some 3 metres.
8b - Front Door
The white painted front door is bordered by
these white columns. An illuminated raised
push button bell and raised brass 136 numerals are to the left side of the door. These are automatically illuminated by a
light on the wall above and the down-lighter in the porch canopy above.
Going through the front door from the ramp requires a sharp left turn
through the door gap of 76cm.
The door threshold has been removed and the access is now completely
flush through both the outer and inner porch doorways. The doorway mat is also recessed
flush with the floor.
8c - Reception
The hallway inside leads direct to the guest lounge ahead with Reception
hatch located immediately on right side.
Here is a small counter and draw down hatch closure.
9 - Guest Rooms
and Shared Facilities
Doorway opening and closing
·
All doors are manually opened and hinged excepting
the patio door which is sliding.
·
The outer front door has a very gentle closing
action, through use of rising butt hinges.
·
The inner front door, guest bedrooms and all
internal fire doors now all have tension door closers to comply with fire
regulations.
·
Both the inner front and ‘Easy Access’ room doors have
a ‘Dorgard’
door stop fitted.
·
If the smoke alarm activates, the ‘Dorgard’
releases the door, allowing it to close.
Room Keys
Additional keys are available, as is an enlarged room key adaptor
available to help cope with finger dexterity issues.
Room keys are individual to each room but they all lock and unlock the
outer front door. Room numbers are etched into the key tags, as is the B&B emergency
contact number.
Room / front door keys are retained by guests during the length of their
stay thereby enabling them to have access at all times.
No Smoking
A no smoking policy is enforced.
Any guest found smoking will be asked to leave immediately, with no
refund and an additional £200 charge levied to clean the room and all linen.
9a - Guest Bedrooms
Guests are encouraged to vacate their rooms during the central part of
the day to enable room servicing and cleaning to be undertaken as well as
allowing any maintenance work to be carried out.
Additional information about our ‘Easy Access’ and ‘Allergy Friendly’
Bedrooms follows the information applying to all other rooms.
Standard equipment provided
in every bedroom includes: -
·
Temperature controllable radiator thermostats
·
Freeview digital TV with DVD player
·
Iron and ironing board
·
Hairdryer
·
Small personal security safe
·
Kettle and hot drink facilities
·
Bedside radio/alarm clock
·
Coat hangers in wardrobe
·
Full length and table top mirrors
·
Desk lamps and bedside lights
·
Luggage stand
No bedroom telephones are provided but emergency telephone calls be
arranged in the lounge.
Mobile phone reception appears good throughout the guest house for all
mobile networks.
A bedrail can be requested by any guest, in any room, wishing this
reassurance.
Also the full range of aids e.g. Deafgard, camera magnifier or hearing
induction loop for TV.
Guest En-suite Shower Rooms
·
All have shower cubicles, wash basins, toilets,
mirrors, shaver points and tiled floors.
· All have wall
mounted range of dispensers for soap and shower gel as well as sanitary bags.
·
Individual items can be supplied for guests having
difficulty using these dispensers
A separate bathroom, containing just a bath,
is available for guests on the first floor.
9b - Shared Facilities
Lounge / Breakfast Room
· Wide glass windows
patio doors look out over the patio and lawn in the rear garden
· Room has two large
dining tables and chairs, lounge seating, radio and guest desktop PC
· Breakfast is
served in this room and the tables and seating arranged to suit staying guests
and any staggered breakfast times
· Wheelchair users
can ask for location that best suits their access and turning circle needs
· A breakfast menu order
tick sheet is available in the lounge
· Guests can choose
breakfast menu on a self-selection tick list the evening before and return to
Terry or leave on the breakfast table
· All cooked food
and hot drinks are delivered to each seating place
· Thicker handled
cutlery is always available
· Cold breakfast
items, tabletop fridge for yoghurts and juices kept on a 89cm high sideboard
·
The room also has a small area with a microwave,
crockery and cutlery for guest use
Fridge / Freezer
A fridge for guest use is always available in the breakfast room. By arrangement, fridge and freezer space is
available in the kitchen, but no responsibility can be taken for any item held.
Ground Floor
Cloakroom
Cloakroom with toilet and hand basin to the
left of Room 1
Library
Staying guests have access to some 450 paperbacks and 250 Readers Digest
bound volumes of condensed novels.
Trouser Press
There is a trouser press available for guest use.
Laundry
There is a pay Laundromat, with ‘
10 - ‘Easy Access’ and
‘Allergy Friendly’ Bedrooms
10a - ‘Easy Access’ Bedroom
– Room 1
All items as listed under Guest Bedrooms apply to this room.
Additionally, this bedroom is the only one at ground level. It has thus
been fitted with a number of features to enable users much enhanced independent
access, including a wet room.
For all practical purposes this is a room accessible to the majority of
wheelchair users, including non-weight bearing persons and as such, has been
used by many in comfort and with dignity.
However some dimensions do not meet current full accessibility
requirements, as this was a conversion of a room within existing structural
load bearing walls on all sides. Please
check in advance that the critical measurements will meet your
requirements.
The two main pinch points to bear in mind are believed to be the initial
turn into the bedroom and the direct front approach to the wash basin in the
en-suite wet room.
Photographs are available of all aspects of this bedroom and wet room as
well as the description provided. Please
ask for more details or contact to discuss as required.
Additional features of Easy
Access Bedroom: -
·
Two electric adjustable single beds
·
All key light switches lowered and reachable whilst
lying in bed
·
Higher electric socket points including reachable
whilst lying in bed
·
Red cord for emergency / assistance call to Guest
House owner (plus cancel switch)
·
Full floor to head height wall mirror faces guest
as they leave room
·
Both wardrobe doors hung for easy access from the one
approach side
·
Additional small oil-filled electric radiator for
use by guests if required
·
Option to add or remove chairs and luggage stand as
requested
·
Option to store luggage bags and suitcases outside
room to create more space
10b - Key features of Wet
Room for Room 1
·
Overall dimensions of 224cm by 140cm with window set
behind toilet
·
Access by left turn from bedroom corridor of 86cm width
through 90cm doorway width
·
Full wet room with blue stippled non-slip flooring
and high contrast dark blue grab rails
·
White tiles with blue tile décor horizontal line
·
A shower wheelchair is available by request, as it
is stored outside of the room
·
Red cord for emergency / assistance call to Guest
House owner (plus cancel switch)
·
Space for left-hand transfer to toilet and
right-hand transfer to a shower seat
·
·
Both high fixed head shower or a lower hand held
flexible shower hose
·
Mirror above wash basin between 87cm and 157cm height
·
Alternative individual items for guests having
difficulty using wall mounted dispensers
·
A wheeled glass trolley and several wall mounted
storage baskets
·
Hoists can be hired if notified in advance. They are available from the local stockist
10c - The Easy Access
Bedroom and Wet Room in More Detail
For a wheelchair user, the two most limiting gaps are believed to be: -
·
Immediate left turn going into the ‘Easy Access’
Bedroom
·
Approach to the wash basin in the en-suite wet room
Entering the bedroom involves passing through the doorway gap of 76cm
followed by an immediate left turn required into a bedroom corridor of 86cm
width.
In the wet room, the gap between toilet and radiator on wall opposite is
54cm, affecting front approach to the wash basin. Many guests can reach across the short
distance from their wheelchair to the wash basin, particularly if wheelchairs
legs have been removed. This wash basin
is however immediately adjacent and usable by any guest sitting on the toilet.
Bedroom light switch immediately on left side at 115cm height. The door into wet room is immediately on
right side. Door is hinged on right and
opens outward into corridor, so access is best achieved after entering further
into room, using clear turning circle area and returning to this point.
Next on the right, the room width widens to accommodate the nearest
bedside cabinet and the first single electric adjustable bed on the far side of
that. The two drawer bedside cabinet is 48cm deep to wall and 40cm wide and
holds a radio / alarm clock.
Room and wall light switches are reachable whilst lying in the bed as
they, and two electric sockets, are located on the wall above the cabinet.
Besides this cabinet is also a red coloured pull cord to activate an
audible alarm call to the Guest House owner. If activated in error, the re-set
switch is situated by Bedroom door at 180cm height.
Beyond the cabinet is the widest part of the room, giving an
unobstructed turning circle of 142cm between the bed and the heating radiator
opposite.
A second electric adjustable single bed then extends from this first bed
with the head of the bed meeting the outer room wall with window above.
Two light switches reachable whilst lying in the bed to the right of the
users head, operate the nearest wall lights and ceiling lights.
Two electric sockets, are located on the wall above a two drawer bedside
cabinet that is 40cm wide and 48cm deep.
To the left and facing this cabinet is the wardrobe. Both wardrobe doors hinge on the far side and
open away from the rest of the room.
This allows unrestricted access from between the bed and the wardrobe
where the space is 116cm wide.
Adjacent to the left side of the wardrobe is a wall anchored table of
80cm maximum width and 37cm deep to wall and 74cm clearance underneath. This table supports the tea making
facilities.
There are two electric sockets underneath table and a mirror just above,
between 85cm and 145cm height.
A seat, with or without arm rests, is available for the room or can be
removed completely.
10d - ‘Allergy Friendly’
Bedroom (Key Features) – Room 6
All items listed under Guest bedrooms apply to this room excepting: -
·
The room has hardwood flooring instead of carpet
·
Fittings and furnishings are fully washable
11 - Nearest
Shops and Pubs
The nearest shops are 550 metres from Abbey Guest House. There are others about 1km away further down
Full inclusive access details are kept at the guest house.
11a –
Turn right out of Abbey Guest House car park and head southward along
A separate Martin’s Newsagent has a single high-step access.
The nearest pub is the Boundary House, opposite
11b –
Staying on
Further south again is a specialist Cycle sales and repair shop, Londis
convenience store and BP Petrol station with small store – all on the original
(West) side of the Oxford road as Abbey Guest House. These are around 1.5 km from Abbey Guest
House.
11c - Peachcroft
Peachcroft has a range of shops, including Budgens, Blockbuster video
hire, Lloyd’s chemist, Motor spares, etc.
The route is not so direct, so please ask for guidance as it is not too
complicated to be directed there.
12 - Transport
Options
12a - Trains
The small rail station at Radley is 2 miles away by road. It is not staffed, has no toilet and only the
northbound (towards
Much larger Rail Stations are 6 miles away at
Please check these details with railway station operators First Great
Western directly, along with the latest situation on accessibility. In the
12b - Buses
Bus services are excellent and buses to
Both
·
X2 service
from and to Didcot train station
·
X3 service from and to
The bus stop nearest to Abbey Guest House is named “
The North bound stop (towards
To demonstrate the range and frequency of bus travel options available,
some old timetable leaflets have been scanned and can be viewed on the website version. Please note that those scanned are now well
out of date and have been deliberately chosen.
Ensure you always seek the very latest information from: bus company
websites, phone lines or latest timetable leaflets at Abbey Guest House or at
the nearby bus stops.
Main Bus Operators and
Current Timetables
Click on the company name to go to current bus timetables for our area.
Oxford Bus Company, Freepost OF336,
Customer Services - 01865 785 400
info@oxford.co.uk www.oxfordbus.co.uk
Heyfordian Travel,
Tel: +44 (0)1869 241
500 Fax: +44 (0)1869 360 011
Thames Travel,
(Wallingford) Ltd, Wyndham House, Lester Way, Hithercroft Industrial Estate,
Wallingford, OXON, OX10 9TD Tel:
01491 837988 Fax: 01491 838562
email: office@thames-travel.co.uk, (we will
respond to your email as soon as we can.)
Stagecoach
services in Oxfordshire are more
difficult to view as you need to know the destination or service numbers to get
information out of their web site.
oxford.enquiries@stagecoachbus.com www.stagecoachbus.com/oxfordshire
12c - Taxis
Abingdon has many taxi companies and one company, Vargas Taxis, currently
operates at least 9 Metrocabs – a taxi designed and built to offer transport to
wheelchair users remaining in their chair.
Vargas Taxis Tel: 01235 559 606
12d - Cycling
Abbey Guest House rear garden provides secure under cover storage for
guests cycles.
Oxfordshire has an enviable network of cycle lanes, cycle paths that
link the towns, villages and countryside.
National Cycle Route no 5 passes through Abingdon and links to other
national and major routes through Oxfordshire. Click here to visit the Sustrans
Oxfordshire page.
12e - Walking
Mobility Scooters can be securely stored under cover in the rear Garden
All local roads have vehicle free footways alongside and the majority of
routes have dropped or lowered kerbs along them enabling wheelchair and
mobility vehicle access.
Abingdon town centre is about 2 km from Abbey Guest House.
The Thames Path
National Trail passes through Abingdon and is used by keen long distance
walkers, local residents and, by permissive agreement, cyclists.
Gates are always found on public bridleways sometimes on those footpaths
closest to the town. Further afield,
stiles can be frequent on countryside footpaths and a total hindrance to most
people.
Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for managing
local Public Rights of Way including footpaths and bridleways and should be
best placed to answer questions about inclusive access through the local
countryside.
12f - Shopmobility
This is a mobility scooter, plus manual and electric wheelchair loan service
for use in the main shopping centre of
Oxford
Shopmobility
Level 1A, Westgate Multi-storey Car Park,
Office: 01865
248 737
Fax: 01865 249 536
Email: a.francis@oxford.gov.uk
13 - Emergencies
/ Fire Exit / Assistance
Audible smoke alarms are fitted in all rooms of Abbey Guest House. A Deafgard
vibrating pad and strobe light alarm is available for use by any profoundly
deaf or heard of hearing guest in any bedroom.
The main front door entrance is the most accessible exit and closest to
all bedrooms in time of emergency. The
Fire Assembly Point for guests is the front car park in the shelter of the
conifer hedge.
Emergency red coloured pull cords with round toggles are fixed in the ‘Easy
Access’ suite. One is beside toilet in
the wet room and the other by the bed nearest the wet room. If pulled downward, these activate an audible
alarm in the hallway. Terry will respond.
If pulled by mistake the re-set button is on the wall by the top of the
bedroom entrance door at 180 cm height.
A rear emergency escape route option via the rear garden is also
available. This does involve crossing a 6cm
door threshold with an 18cm drop and then going down two steps of 8cm and 11cm.
Terry is usually available to assist guests escape through this route, should
it be necessary, as she lives on site in the ground floor private area.
Note: It is planned to remove this threshold within a planned extension
in the near future.
First Aid Kit
For the very simplest of injuries, we have a first aid kit at the Guest
House with small bandages, plasters etc.
Minor Injuries Unit
The nearest local hospital with minor injuries unit is the
Full Accident and Emergency
Unit
The nearest full Accident and Emergency unit is at the