A husband and wife team have been recognised by the charity Blue Badge Style for the exceptional work they have done to offer inclusive accessible accommodation in a stunning stone cottage in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales.

Diane and her husband Andrew first started renting out self-catering holiday cottages in the Yorkshire Dales back in 2003 and today have three luxury 5 star cottages including the one dubbed ‘The Dairy’ which was a long-standing ambition of theirs.

‘We don’t make it easy for ourselves’ admits Diane - ‘the whole curtilage is listed. It took us five years to get permission for the change of use and the whole time it was always planned that we would do it up for the disabled market. Because we knew then that there was hardly anything in the Yorkshire Dales at all mainly because of the nature of the buildings, because they’re all old.’

The wait was worth it though as The Dairy has been praised for its charm, warmth and seamless accessibility.

‘We are the first in the Yorkshire Dales of any kind of tourism accommodation to provide accommodation which has got the mobility, the visual and the hearing support to national standards’ says Diane.

The long wait to get planning permission meant that the couple had ample time to research and plan the Dairy. And perhaps surprisingly, Diane says that making it accessible didn’t affect the cost that much more than it would have were they restoring it without disabled customers in mind. She estimates that a mere 10% of the budget was directed specifically at any specialised equipment. Mostly it was a matter of designing out any obstacles.

‘We took what we knew the guests like and replicated that and then just adapted it. In terms of the actual cost, it wasn’t much different at all. What made the difference was the time and the effort.’

They went for a look that was accessible without appearing clinical. ‘That is absolutely key to our proposition’ Diane tells me. ‘Some of our guests have said to us “no we’re not interested in The Dairy because it’s got accessible features”, because that’s the perception - if it’s for disabled people then it’s clinical. So there’s a job to do educating people. We specifically wanted to get past that because we wanted The Dairy to be available to everybody. The negative perception by business owners and other non-disabled guests needs to be turned around’.

Her research took her to other businesses to learn from them. ‘We got some great pointers from other accommodation providers who said “watch out for this. Watch out for that”.’ Visit England was a huge help. She worked with a company who had installed kitchens in her other cottages to create one that would be suitable for all. She mentions too that the company Motionspot, which designs beautiful accessible bathrooms, were a huge help to her. They assisted with the bathroom in The Dairy which has a beautiful modern walk in shower suitable for someone with mobility issues and there are foldable arms and a shower seat that can be removed in under a minute if the occupant doesn’t want them. There are two basins, including one at a lower height and with tactile stickers to indicate hot and cold taps for visually impaired people.

Elsewhere, the fire and CO alarm have a visual as well as audible signals. And the colours chosen for things like door handles etc were specifically chosen for contrast but appearing completely natural at the same time. An alarm clock in the bedroom has a connecting device which slips under the pillow and wakes the user by vibrating if they can’t hear.

‘Our friend Steve has Multiple Sclerosis and he would say to us “don’t just go for the minimum requirements that visit England sets”.’ Steve’s input would be an important point in the development as he was promised even before planning permission was had that he would be the first person to test the accessibility of The Dairy. ‘He’s quite tall (he’s got size 14 feet) and he says he goes into places where he tries to turn his wheelchair and his feet get caught on things. He advised us to “go beyond the recommendations if you can because the minimum requirements don’t work enough”.

The decision to create The Dairy was not just driven by social goals, but commercial ones too. As Diane points out, the disability sector is a growing market and typically made up of a loyal customer base. When people find a place they like, they tend to come back. This could also be in part due to the lack of top class accessible holiday accommodation so when people find a gem, they stick with it. There was however another personal motive for making The Dairy accessible. Diane elaborates;

‘When we moved here we thought this is to be our “forever home”. So the long term view was, if we made that a holiday cottage for people who have disabilities, then it means that when we get old and decrepit (and the way I’m going right now that’ll be next week) then we can eventually move into it ourselves and we won’t have to move away’.

Diane and the Dairy are fast becoming a reference in the world of accessibility and inclusive holiday accommodation as Diane is invited to speak to various groups and has been asked to participate in groups to improve accessibility in local businesses and tourism in Harrogate and the wider Yorkshire Dales.

You can enjoy a quick virtual tour of the Diary below…

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