The Natural World Centre
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WELCOME TO THE NATURAL WORLD CENTRE. Accessibility Statement July 2015 This access statement does not contain personal opinions as to our suitability for those with disabilities, but aims to accurately describe the facilities and services that we offer all our customers/visitors. Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 1 of 16 Welcome Welcome to The Natural World Centre which is set in the heart of the beautiful Whisby Nature Park. The nature park is made up of a series of former gravel pits which are home to a variety of wildlife and is located to the south of Lincoln City centre just off the A46. The Natural World Centre houses a delicious café serving local food which can be tailored to specific dietary requirements. We have an exciting gift shop, plus two exhibition areas all geared up to the centre’s theme of the environment and sustainability. Wi-Fi is available throughout the centre. Outside there is Little Darters Adventure Play area, designed to keep little ones occupied with a sand pit and water play areas. There is also a Look-Out, Bird Hide and the Cave for children and adults to investigate and look for wildlife. The centre has free entry, with a free car parking for non-blue badge holders. Car parking is £2.00 per day for non-badge holders. The centre is fully accessible. View over the Thorpe Lake from Little Darters Island Further details are available from The Natural World Centre: t: +44 (0) 1522 688868 e: [email protected] Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 2 of 16 CONTENTS 1. General Information 2. Visiting Us a. By Train b. By Bus c. By Taxi d. By Car 3. Scooter Hire 4. Assistance Dogs 5. Main Entrance 6. Reception 7. Lower Exhibition Area 8. Upper Exhibition Area 9. Gift Shop 10. Boardwalk Cafe 11. Boardwalk Seating Area 12. Little Darters Adventure Play 13. Public Toilets 14. Emergency Procedures 15. On The Nature reserve 16. Further Information 17. Accessible Accommodation 18. Future Plans 19. Feedback 20. General Dimensions Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 3 of 16 1. General Information The Natural World and car park are on level ground with the centre being based over two floors. There is lift access to the lower exhibition area. The whole centre is accessible by wheelchairs. Manual wheelchair users may need assistance in some areas. Accessible facilities and baby changing facilities are available. Mobility Scooters are available and can be hired for access onto the Nature Reserve, a manual wheelchair is available for use only within the Natural World area. These can be pre-booked by telephone (01522) 688868 or via email [email protected] Our brochure, leaflets and Nature Park map are available in larger print upon request. 2. Visiting us By Train Closest train station is Lincoln Central which is located to the South of Lincoln City Centre and is 7.5 miles away. The station is fully accessible for wheelchairs. Direct connections are provided by East Midlands Trains, East Coast and Northern Rail which operate daily services to Peterborough, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Doncaster and London. We would advise you to plan your trip in advance with an online route planner or by phone with TrainTracker +44 (0)871 200 49. More information on the train station and it services and accessibility can be found here. www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/sjp/LCN/stationOverview.xhtml You can find the station at: Lincoln Railway Station, St Mary's Street, Lincoln. Lincolnshire. LN5 7EW By Bus. PC Coaches run number 48 bus route travelling between Lincoln and Witham St Hughes every two hours, calling at Thorpe on the Hill. It is a fairly short walk from the bus stop to the Nature Park. All PC Coach on regular routes are wheelchair accessible and the majority of the Stagecoach buses are wheelchair accessible. Please contact Stagecoach to check whether your line is operated by wheelchair accessible buses: t: +44 (0)1522 580515 e: [email protected] Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 4 of 16 By Taxi Taxis are available at the railway station. Accessible Taxis can be pre-arranged via Marks Passenger Services a local private hire company with wheelchair accessible vehicles. For more information on Marks Passenger Services please visit their http://www.markspassengerservices.co.ukor contact them by phone on +44 (0) 1522 793816. By Car Full details and maps are available on our website http://www.naturalworldcentre.co.uk/visit-us/ The Nature Park is 5 miles from Lincoln City Centre at Thorpe on the Hill, off the A46. Follow the brown signs to the Nature Park. The Natural World Centre is situated in Whisby Nature Park. There are 10 FREE blue badge car parking spaces available and are within 70m of the main reception desk. The car park is level and is tarmac topped with a thin layer of gravel with a block-paved entrance path into the centre. There are dropped kerbs by the blue badge car park area. There is a drop off area by the blue badge bays which is level into the centre. There are a further 48 spaces and 6 coach parking spaces. There is a charge of £2.00 per day per vehicle for non blue badge holders. 3. Scooter and Wheelchair Hire Mobility Scooters and manual wheelchair hire can be arranged at the reception desk. We have three mobility scooters available and are £3.50 for a morning (10.00am-1.00pm) or afternoon (1.00pm-4.30pm) session. The manual wheelchair is £2.00 for a morning or afternoon session. One of our 2 mobility scooters available for hire Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 5 of 16 4. Assistance Dogs Assistance Dogs are welcomed within the Natural World Centre. On the Nature Park there are specified dog friendly routes around Thorpe Lake and a restriction for all dogs is in place during the breeding season. All dogs should be kept on leads at all times. There is a dog toilet located along the tarmac level pathway which is found to the right out of the building approximately 50m. Water bowls are available within the Little Darters Play area and on the Boardwalk seating area. 5. Main Entrance The main entrance to the centre is on ground level and is level. The main entrance is a set of two manual double doors. There is a 770mm / 30.5inches minimum clear opening and assistance may be required. There is a door bell on the right hand door frame which sounds on the Reception desk. A bench is situated outside the main doors. The area is well lit with overhanging fluorescent lights. There are clear location signs throughout the centre. There is a minimum door width of 800mm / 31.5inches in the centre. Main entrance external doors Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 6 of 16 6. Reception The reception is situated on the ground floor within the gift shop and has a lowered desk section. There is a hearing loop installed at the counter. Use of a magnifying glass, pen and pad of paper are available please contact the reception desk. The flooring is linoleum and carpet tiles. The area is well lit with plenty of natural light. Reception desk from the main entrance and towards the cafe entrance doors 7. Lower Exhibition Area Entry in Our Changing World Exhibition is free. The exhibition is located on the lower floor which is accessed by stairs or lift. The lift is located just past the reception desk. The lift measures: width 800mm/31.5inches floor space 1400x1070 / 55x42inches. There are Braille button on the inside and outside of the lift. Lift to lower exhibition area Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 7 of 16 Some items of the exhibition are interactive and can be touched. There are large interpretation boards throughout the exhibition with large print and images. Seating benches are available in the exhibition. The floor covering consists of carpet tiles and smooth linoleum. The exhibition is currently being revised as part of our ongoing improvement plan. Assistance is available if required from reception. 8. Upper Exhibition Area Our temporary exhibition space is located on the ground floor with access through the gift shop. Interpretation of the exhibition in larger print is available upon request from Reception. There are wooden benches within the exhibition area. The area is lit with spot lights with large windows giving a large amount of natural light. The floor has a level carpet tile covering. Ground floor exhibition area Accessibility Statement – The Natural World Centre. Completed Jul 2015 Page 8 of 16 9. Gift Shop The shop is accessed to the right of the main entrance on the ground floor. There are no further doors to enter the shop and it is level throughout. Payments and enquires are made at the reception desk which has a lowered counter. There is sufficient space through the shop for wheelchair access, however assistance is available if required. All items for sale have bar coding price labels which may be difficult to read, however assistance is available from the reception desk. The shop is lit with uplighters and large windows provide natural light. The flooring is mainly carpet tiles with a linoleum strip from the main entrance to the Boardwalk doors. There is access to the Boardwalk from the shop via manual double doors and assistance may be required.