Pictured here is Chloe Hixson, Accessibility Consultant for the Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE). Chloe has particular experience of working within museums and heritage sites across the South West of England and, recently visited the Museum of Bath Stone to complete an accessibility audit made possible with match funding from the SWMD Recovery Grants Scheme.
Receiving a very warm welcome, Chloe explored our museum and the facilities on offer. She was also provided with a demonstration of the building’s multi-purpose function and very importantly, we also shared with Chloe our vision and aspirations for the museum’s future. From these, Chloe was then able to advise us with recommendations that will ensure accessibility and inclusivity considerations remain at the heart of the visitor experience in the museum’s future development and beyond.
The report has been returned and the museum’s Board of Trustees and Chief Executive are in the process of itemising the improvements and obtaining costs. It is then our mission to begin our journey into creating the most welcoming and comfortable environment possible for each of our staff, volunteers, and visitors, as well as our community users of the space.
We owe our greatest thanks to Chloe for her unrivalled expertise and guidance, Teresa for her administrative work and for ensuring the process has been almost effortless on our part from start to finish. We would also like to thank the wider team at CAE for providing unparalleled support and information to organisations such as ourselves who are looking to make a positive difference to the lives of others. Finally, we would like to offer our deepest thanks to the SWMD and the Recovery Grants Scheme who made this possible for the Museum of Bath Stone.
We have learned so much and hope the online presence we have given to this project will inspire other organisations to explore accessibility and make positive changes wherever they can.