Tag Archives: attractions

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Attractions: York Art Gallery

The Quingo Scooters team are always keen to encourage scooter users to get out and about and visit interesting or unusual places.

In our accessible attractions series, we aim to share some of the hidden gems that you wouldn’t usually visit or that you maybe thought weren’t accessible for your Quingo Scooter.

This week the Quingo team wanted to share some of the remarkable and accessible cultural attractions in the historic city of York with you. The York Art Gallery is part of the York Museums Trust, and is also situated minutes from York Minster, so it’s possible to visit both whilst on a day trip. If you’re already a bit of an art expert, or you just fancy a day out that’s a little bit different, York Art Gallery caters for everyone.

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Rich History

The Gallery holds a collection of paintings that spans more than 600 years. The works range from 14th century Italian panels to 20h century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney.

The building itself is also of historic interest having first opened its doors to the public in 1879 and then becoming York’s city Art Gallery in 1892.

If you’ve never been to an art gallery before, but fancy something different, York Art Gallery will definitely provide the wow factor.

Collections

There’s so much more than just paintings at York Art Gallery:

  • Decorative Arts: here you’ll find more than 3000 pieces in a variety of materials including ceramics, glassware and textiles. The collection of ceramics from the Yorkshire potteries dates from the 1600’s to the 1900’s.
  • Modern ceramics: This is the world’s most extensive collection of modern British Studio Ceramics, with more than 5,000 pieces on show.
  • Works on Paper: These include drawings, watercolours and prints with around half featuring the city of York by local artists.
  • Paintings: York is famous for its collection of paintings spanning the history of Western European, but there is something that will appeal to everyone and regular touring exhibitions. In March 2016 one of the largest touring exhibitions of British First World War Art will reach York Art Gallery.

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Accessible Art

York Gallery re-opened in August 2015, after it was made fully accessible to wheelchair and mobility scooter users. It now has two entrances – one at the front and one at the rear through York Museum Gardens. There are also accessible toilets on the ground and first floors of the gallery.

There are also the shop and Café No. 8 for you to refuel after discovering all the offerings of the gallery.

York Art Gallery offer an ‘Access Day Ticket’ which enables those who are aged 17-24 and receive support allowance entry for £4. The standard adult entry price is £7.50, which includes a 10% gift aid donation, and children under 16 get in the gallery for free.

If you’re making your way from York train station on your Quingo Scooter, it should take around 15-20 minutes to get to the gallery. If you’re visiting by car, the nearest car park is on Marygate which is around 5 minutes away.

For any other enquiries you have about York Art Gallery, you can always check their website before you go.

If you’ve been to visit any interesting attractions on your Quingo or would like us to write about a particular place you have visited, we’d be delighted to hear from you. You can email your stories, recommendations and pictures by filling out the contact form on our website and we’ll feature them on our blog.

About Quingo Scooters

The Quingo Scooters range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, News, Quingo Scooters

Disabled Access Day is on the Way!

Next month sees the return of Disabled Access Day; Quingo Scooters explains what it’s all about and what you can do to in order to take part in this incredible day on March 12.

The first ever Disabled Access Day took place last year on January 17th. It was a hugely successful with 11 countries and 261 venues taking part. The day enjoyed massive media exposure and was a great success in spreading the word! This success was thanks to all those people who took part and who helped spread the word and encouraged venues, organisations and charities in their area to get involved.
This year the hope is even more of you will get involved and the day will continue to grow year in year out as organisations see greater interest.

Quingo Scooters

What is it?

Disabled Access Day came about after Paul Ralph, a power chair user and Euan’s Guide supporter, went to a ‘try it out day’ at his local bus company:

“Prior to this, I had not used the bus network in my hometown because I was unsure how the ramp operated, how ticketing worked and if my power chair would fit.  I attended a demonstration organised by the local bus company with the opportunity to explore a stationary bus. Extra staff were on hand to explain the process of getting on and off safely. There was ample time to become more familiar with the layout of the bus and with what you need to know as a wheelchair using passenger. I’m now a frequent bus user.

Chatting with friends, I thought how great it would be if there were similar initiatives, including some more informal events, happening across the country on one specific day. The idea of encouraging disabled people to also try something new that day appeared and out of it came the idea of Disabled Access Day.”

How can I take part?

It’s super simple. Just visit any participating venue that you may never have been to before.

You can find places that are taking part near you by clicking here.

Just enter the name of your town or post code and the nearest attractions to you will be listed.

Whether that’s a café, a museum, an art gallery or even a football stadium – somewhere you may have though was inaccessible to you in the past the choice is entirely yours!

Many attractions across the country are holding accessible guided tours in the hope of showing you just how easy it is to get about and explore what they have to offer, in the hope that you’ll visit again in the future!

There are also promotions from some of the biggest brands on the actual day itself, including offers from Café Nero, Barclays and Strada. So make sure you go and grab your complimentary hot drink from your nearest Café Nero on the 12th March! These chains are nationwide, but you can check on the website for your nearest branch and to find out what activities are going on nearer the time.

Where is it?

Everywhere! Events are being held up and down the country and various places. So no matter where you are, you can get involved! There are already nearly 100 venues taking part in Disabled Access Day 2016, and you can find out about the nearest places getting involved near you here. From arts centres and theatres to shopping centres and coffee shops – there’s loads of different things going on!

Who is it for?               

Disabled Access Day is for all disabled people, their families & friends and their carers.

If you’re getting involved this year, we’d love to hear about it! Use our contact form to show us any snaps of your day or to share your Disabled Access Day story.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog.  Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

 

Attractions, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Christmas Market Series – Lincoln

Your Quingo means going out is much more pleasurable and safe during the winter months so we thought we would find you some great ways you can use your scooter to keep active and enjoy the wintertime.

With the run up to Christmas fast approaching, the team here at Quingo Scooters wanted to share with you some of the best Christmas markets to explore on your mobility scooter.

In the first of the series, we thought we’d start with the Lincoln Christmas Market. Lincoln is a beautiful city with a well-known traditional Christmas Market, where you will be able to enjoy cultural entertainment and discover around 200 stalls nestled within the medieval square and surrounding area. The market runs through the weekend of Thursday 3rd December until Sunday the 6th.

Lincoln Christmas Market has developed dramatically since it began with just 11 stalls. The market gives visitors and residents a truly festive experience, with a traditional, high quality event for all the family.

 

The Highlights

There are some not to be missed stalls at this year’s market:

Stoneglow: Visitors to the stoneglow tent will find homemade, reusable candles at the Stoneglow stall, as well as other unique gifts. The stall is run by David from Essex and has been trading at the market for 10 years.

Moonlighting: Moonlighting products are handmade in Shropshire. The stall features handmade lamps made using recycled material and bottles. Each light is unique and the stall is certainly a highlight of the craft tent.

Susan’s Farmhouse Fudge: This stall can be found in the Castle Square food court selling a colourful array of homemade fudge, sweets and mulled wine. It is run by Andrew and Susan and has been a staple at the market for 15 years!

John Bangay Artwork: This stall is one of the original 11 at the first Lincoln Christmas Market 31 years ago. John Bangay sells a collection of Lincolnshire prints, tea towels, coasters and cards. 

Mobility Scooter Accessibility

Lincoln Christmas Market takes place in the historic quarter of Lincoln with some parts on cobbled streets. In area such as the Castle grounds the walkways and public spaces have been made as even as possible, with ramps on to raised areas.

The Christmas Market takes places at the top of a hill, which at its steepest is a 1:7 gradient. However, a Park and Ride scheme is available for disabled visitors that drops passengers off at the top of the hill.

There are also other buses services from the town centre that will do the same. Most bus services operate from the bus station which is just opposite Lincoln train station. The Walk and Ride service operates from Silver Street up to the market.

Accessible toilet facilities are available on site including at the park and ride site at the Lincolnshire Showground, and there are medical and welfare facilities on site for all visitors.

Park and Ride

There is no parking in the vicinity of the Christmas Market, so all cars should use the dedicated Christmas Market Park and Ride service which operates from the Lincolnshire Showground on the A15 just north of Lincoln. The park and ride site is well sign posted on all approach roads and for those using a sat-nav the postcode is LN2 2NA.

There is also a dedicated service for people with disabilities, using specially adapted vehicles which also run from the showground. Pre-booked tickets are open dated, so can be used on any one day of the 2015 event and are £12 per car. You need to keep them safe and show them as you leave the car park. On the day ticket prices depend on the day and range up to £15. More information can be found on the Lincoln Christmas Market Website.

 

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. For more information on the Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Quingo are proud to work closely with Age UK and feature regularly in local press.