Charity making Yorkshire Dales more accessible with all-terrain wheelchairs and audio trails
Access the Dales provide all-terrain wheelchairs and audio trails for people with visual impairments
The Yorkshire Dales is now more accessible, thanks to charity which provides all terrain wheelchairs and audio trails.
Access the Dales was founded by wheelchair user Debbie North and her late husband Andy, so they could share their experiences of navigating harsh landscapes.
Following Mr North's death, an online appeal raised more than £16,000 to buy an all-terrain wheelchair for people to use.
Mrs North, said:
"Where we go now forward with it is really making the hubs work and really getting the message out there that there is this facility and to get people outside to enjoy the beautiful countryside that we have in the Yorkshire Dales.
"We really do want to think about the diversity of disability and hopefully we can reach out to many, many people with disability and welcome them to the Yorkshire Dales.
"Just this week we had a woman in tears. They were tears of job because she thought she'd never, ever see these sights again. We went right on the top of the fells and she had a 360 degree view and she just cried."
Debbie lives on a sheep farm on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and her love of fell walking blossomed when she met Andy, a keen hillwalker himself.
In 2008, she was diagnosed with spinal degeneration and was no longer able to walk the hills she loves so much.
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Debbie and Andy teamed up with TerrainHopper, makers of a 4x4 all-terrain wheelchair, so they could get out into the countryside again.
With their hiking boots on and TerrainHopper charged and ready to go, they went on a mission to discover accessible walks in the Yorkshire Dales.
Andy’s last wish was that they raise the money to purchase an all-terrain wheelchair specifically for children, where families will be able to borrow and share beautiful moments and enjoy the landscape that brought Andy so much happiness.