Queenswood Country Park and Arboretum now has improved access for visitors with limited mobility.
Herefordshire Council’s parks, countryside and leisure development service has acquired a third electric mobility vehicle to add to the two already available for use at the popular arboretum which attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year.
James Bisset, principal countryside officer, said: “We want people who are less mobile to realise they can also enjoy all the delights of Queenswood. There are more than 500 rare and exotic trees in the arboretum as well as 103 acres of semi natural ancient woodland so there is plenty to interest visitors.
”We have a special route through the arboretum waymarked for people using the electric mobility vehicles (EMVs) while gates along the route have also been replaced so the EMVs will fit through them and they can be opened more easily,” he added.
Two of the EMVs are two-seater allowing a carer to join a person with mobility problems while the new one is a single seater. There is also the option of using all three to accommodate groups.
EMVs can be booked for a particular session but not for a whole day so they are available for more people to use them. Users are asked for a donation to cover the running costs of the battery-operated vehicles.
Earlier this year, the car park and other hard-standing areas at the park were resurfaced to make access for mobility impaired visitors and the EMVs much easier. There are now also specially designated parking spaces available for people with mobility problems.
Anyone who wants to use one of the EMVs should contact the TIC office at Queenswood to book one. The TIC is open from 10am until 4.30pm, seven days a week, from now right up until Christmas Eve. Staff can be contacted on 01568 797842.
Organisers of Herefordshire’s Walking Festival, which runs from June 16 to 24, also want the less mobile to get involved and enjoy the county’s countryside.
Four walks on the programme are suitable for the less mobile. Two of them, Batteries Not Included 1, and Batteries Not Included 2, are at Queenswood, the third is in the market town of Leominster, while the fourth is at High Vinnalls.
Batteries Not Included 1 is being held on Friday, June 22 from 2pm until 4pm and Batteries Not Included 2 is on Saturday, June 23 from 2pm until 4pm.
The tours will be on accessible surfaced paths and there will be stops to talk about wildlife, trees and archaeology.
The third walk, The Hidden History of Leominster, is on Wednesday, June 20 from 10.30am until noon when people taking part will view and learn stories from the movers and shakers of Leominster’s urban past. This route is accessible by wheelchair.
High Vinnalls All Ability Trail is on Monday, June 18 from 10.30am until 11.30am and follows an all-weather, easy access surface taking in woodland and wildlife ponds.
Herefordshire Walking Festival, which runs from June 16 to 24, is sponsored by Leominster-based M&M Sports.
To book tickets, telephone the festival office on 01568 797842 or visit the website http://www.visitherefordshire.co.uk/ to download a brochure or book on line.