Rheged

This venue is great for accessibility. The disabled parking is fairly close to the entrance with dropped kerbs, although the lighting at night could be better. Level entry with automatic doors into a wide entry way and then more automatic doors through to the main halls. Loos, including accessible ones, are on the left as you enter, but there are accessible loos on every floor. We went up in the lift to see the print exhibition (on till Feb 2022). Once in the gallery it was all level, with plenty of space for wheelchairs. I was able to see all the art, as the work was skilfully hung with a view to wheelchair users being able to look, with all the smaller pieces hung low down and the larger higher to be seen from a distance. All the shops were fully accessible despite the different levels, thanks to a very wide and gentle ramp which came down from the first floor to the ground floor. This ramp was the best feature of the building. Even where shops had steps in them, the different levels could be accessed with this ramp. Everywhere there was enough space for a wheelchair. We had a pizza in the ground floor cafe, and the server brought me the most suitable chair for me to sit in, or I could have easily sat at the table in my wheelchair. The staff were all fantastically kind and helpful, with cheery smiles and genuine interest in my welfare. This visit was great for building my confidence. Everywhere was beautifully clean, and nicely decorated for Christmas. There is a cinema there but we didn't go in this time.