A specialist North East leisure company has launched a short break service designed specifically for people with complex or multiple accessibility needs.
Tailored Leisure Company (TLC) has partnered with holiday park operator Haven to offer a fully accessible caravan at the Berwick Holiday Park site on the Northumberland coast.
It is the latest offer from the Whitburn-based firm, which provides holidays and leisure activities for people with physical disabilities. Last year TLC launched its Access for All campaign and is looking to raise £1.5m for the development of a purpose-built accessible holiday complex.
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Tara Johnson - an engagement officer in the health and care sector - set up TLC following her own experiences of living with cerebral palsy.
She said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Haven to bring this fully accessible caravan on site at Berwick Holiday Park. Many ‘accessible’ holiday homes only cater for a narrow range of physical disabilities, and this means that people with complex or multiple needs can’t enjoy a proper break with their families.
"We have worked closely with Haven in the specification of the caravan to eliminate the many barriers to holidays that include a lack of specialist equipment, lack of support for carers, only partially accessible facilities and being excluded from activities (like pools).”
One 19-year-old TLC client said: "Trying to find fully accessible places to stay is mine and my family’s worst nightmare because you sometimes don’t know what you’re going to find when you get there.
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"Last time we went on holiday, the bathroom was too small, and you couldn’t access all areas of the cottage which leaves me feeling left out or my family really stressed. I sometimes get there, and I am counting the days until we leave when all I want to do is have fun with the rest of my family.”
Ms Johnson added: "Our aim is to offer the most accessible escape ever, providing customers with a luxury worry-free break, where families can relax and have fun.
"The site at Berwick is a perfect coastal get away and is located near some of the region’s most breathtaking scenery and experiences. This is an amazing start to our exciting plans for accessible short breaks across the region, we really can’t wait for families to share their experiences with us.”
As well as its short break service, TLC runs a series of virtual and community-based fitness projects across the North East.