Dear All,
We just wanted to share our plans with you about getting local businesses/services/venues involved with the Age-friendly Whalley Range and Chorlton Business Charter – (see below and link) – and to ask for your support in reaching other local businesses/services – as I know you have a good relationship with other local traders in the Wards.
The idea of the Charter is to ensure that businesses and groups take account of older people’s needs
in terms of recognising barriers and addressing them by looking at the wider accessibility of their premises, awareness/care provided by staff and promoting additional services provided – such as home delivery services and loyalty/discount schemes etc.
Obviously insurance issues and customer safety means that not every shop or venue can offer the use of toilet facilities – but many venues will be able to fulfil that criteria anyway: e.g. care homes, health centres,
dentists, social housing providers, mosques, churches, temples and schools etc. – and it will be useful to list venues that do offer the use of toilets – not only for paying customers but for anyone needing to use the facilities.
What the Age-friendly Business Charter will do is to allow businesses/venues who sign up to promote themselves as providing an age-friendly service, to display a postcard in their window or in the premises – and to become part of our website/database list of age-friendly places/services
So a business could provide
- a seat for an older person who is shopping in the area, (just a fold-up chair to be used on request)
- the shop would be free of trip hazards,
- decent lighting and accessibility of products,
- Accessibility to wheelchair users – or that members of staff would be willing to attend to requests of older people if the shop venue is not accessible etc.
For an older person to recognise that many (or preferably all!) of their local shops have signed up as being ‘age-friendly’ would increase their confidence in getting out of the house to shop locally – even more important for residents living on or close to Withington Road since the demise of the regular 16 bus that took them into Chorlton etc.
(Good news: There are plans in progress as part of Withington Road First Steps to potentially provide a Stagecoach 85a bus service to cover this route following a recent survey:
visit http://withingtonroad.org/to find more!)
Older people are an important and growing consumer group – so it makes sense for local businesses to encourage and support the “shop local†ethos – and becoming part of a recognised initiative that demonstrates a commitment and respect for the needs of older people is a good way to promote local services.
If you would like to sign up to the Charter, please complete the attached draft form adding your business/group name and ticking the criteria you feel you are able to meet. Add Charter to the subject field and return to our email address: agefriendlywhalleyrange@gmail.com and we will be in touch.
Please spread the word to any local traders or businesses operating in the Whalley Range/Chorlton area who you think might be interested in getting involved!
