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Five people are grouped together in front of a wooden piece of art, two are sat in wheelchairs, one is holding a microphone, another a camera and another is leaning on a wooden barrel.

Phab ACTS – A Busy Year so far!

“It’s been a super busy period for the Phab Access Consulting and Training Services project. We’re very proud to have secured high-profile contracts with CNL, The Savoy Theatre, and Euans Guide; and we’re aiming for bigger things in the next year, that’s for sure!

Together with Libby and the team from Move Media TV, we have been shooting a series of video access guides as part of the Chilterns National Landscape project, making sure that there is information available for disabled and older people wanting to get out into the Chiltern Hills and surrounding area. We’re motoring with this, and all our work should go live this year, so watch this space.

A person sitting in a three wheeled chair is beside a small river in the sunshine. Behind them are two people operating cameras.
A person sitting in a three wheeled chair is in the middle of a pathway, as a person holding a long microphone points it towards them.
A person is taking a selfie in front of a white logo which reads "Euan's Guide, Disabled Access Reviews

The project with Euan’s Guide, which we still can’t officially announce, but it’s another one aiming to get more access information out there for the public, is going into its second year and is really picking up pace. I’ve been continuing as Access and Inclusion Director for the project and have been working with Antonia, Joe, and the team on hiring reviewers as well as getting disabled people excited about reviewing for Euan’s Guide.

It was a great pleasure to hand Antonia an award for the Robin Sheppard Award, Access Champion of the Year, as a posthumous award for Euan MacDonald at this year’s Blue Badge Access Awards. Sadly, Euan passed away last year, and it was wonderful to mark how important he was to disabled people and the legacy he left.

Acting as compare, alongside the person behind the BBAAs, Fiona Jarvis, we also handed out the Phab Best Guest Accommodation/Boutique Hotel award to Novotel, Paddington Village, Liverpool, with a commendation going to Brick House Cottages. It was a fantastic night for all, and no one had too much to drink… honestly.

There are big things planned for the 2027 awards, to be part of the Phab 70th anniversary celebrations.

I also visited Epsom and Ewell Phab Club to deliver a session on the Social Model and inclusive practice, as well as delivering training for the Surrey NHS Trust. The club visit was great fun, and it was a joy to see so many young people engaged with Phab and the Social Model of Disability. If your club might want to know more about the way of thinking that is spacing out our plans for the future of Phab, get in touch.

We’ve finally updated our ACTS page on the Phab website, where you can meet the team and contact us if you are interested in our services: Phab Acts Web Page

A person sat in a wheelchair and a teenager wearing a blue T-shirt reading Phab are side by side smiling.
A group of teenagers are sat in a semi-circle across various sofas and benches, watching a person sat in a wheelchair talk in front of a screen.

In May we’re beginning the training of our first group of freelancers, meaning ACTS can really offer a bigger, better service while supporting young disabled people into a career in access and inclusion. We’re also sourcing funding to make this a much bigger part of what ACTS does in the future.

We’re starting the new business year with a packed calendar, and we’re only just beginning. Here’s to 2025-26!”
 
Mik Scarlet – Co CEO

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