Meet our panel of Access Ambassadors
The Parks Trust is proud to introduce our new Access Ambassadors, a diverse panel of individuals with personal experiences of disability or caring for loved ones with disabilities. The group represent a wide range of conditions, including mobility, sensory, and neurodiversity and have a passion to make positive change. They’ve kindly signed up as volunteers to help the Trust to be able to make a difference in this area.
By collaborating with these passionate individuals, we’ll gain valuable insights into the challenges people with disabilities face. We understand that these challenges can vary significantly depending on the type of impairment, and that's where our ambassadors' diverse lived experiences come into play. They will help advise us so that we can implement appropriate improvements that benefit all visitors.
We see it as a responsibility for the Trust to work toward greater inclusivity and accessibility. We feel confident that we can significantly improve the experiences for all our park users, thanks to the invaluable insights and support of our Access Ambassadors.
Introducing our panel:
Ernie Boddington
Ernie is an Accessibility Lead for the Centre for Integrated Living MK, which is a charity campaigning for equitable access for disabled people in our city. Ernie has helped shape our initial Accessibility Project and is advising specifically on design considerations for park landscapes.
Tim Davies
Tim is the CEO of Camphill Communities MK, a charity that provides support and a meaningful working life for adults with a wide range of learning disabilities. Tim is advising us on making our parks and activities more inclusive for adults with learning disabilities.
Pauline Jarvis
Pauline is the Sensory Service Manager at the MK Sensory Advice Research Centre. Her job is to provide services for adults and children with a sensory loss living in Milton Keynes. Pauline is advising us on making our parks and activities more accessible for people with sensory impairments.
Helen Jennison
Helen is a Parks Trust Volunteer Ranger for Campbell Park. She has been volunteering with the Trust since 2018 and is a regular participant in a variety of volunteering activities. Helen is advising us on mobility issues around the parks.
Ian Joyce
Ian has been a volunteer with the Trust since 2016 and is a frequent helper at Trust events of all sizes. You will often find Ian ready to greet you at our events. Ian is advising us on mobility issues in the parks.
Jon Sidwell
Jon began volunteering with the Trust in 2023 and regularly helps with our education sessions. He is also a volunteer with Bucks Vision and is advising us on making the parks more accessible to blind and partially sighted visitors.
Kerry Thompson
Kerry is an award-winning disability blogger and ambassador for AccessAble and for Changing Places Toilets. She is helping us to create more accessible parks for everyone. You can find out more about Kerry on her blog.
Richard Browning
Richard joins our panel to represent Talkback MK, an organisation which focuses upon supporting and developing self advocacy, participation and involvement for learning disability groups across Milton Keynes.
Varsha Kamath
Varsha represents the Parent & Carer Alliance MK, an independent and voluntary group of parents and carers of children and young people with disabilities or additional needs.
