THE BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION
November 2004 onwardsOur first discussions with the British Heart Foundation took place in November 2004.
They were looking to roll out DDA Compliance solutions to 34 shops across the UK, and
were mostly concerned with issues involving access to their shops.
The project involved the supply of portable access ramps - with storage stands, when
not in use - and the installation of bright yellow step nosings to enable patially
sighted customers to negotiate any steps safely. A small number of shops also required
threshold and internal ramps.
The 34 shops with entrance steps were very widely dispersed, from the South-West of England
to the Grampian region of Scotland, and from Northern Ireland to East Anglia. This was
logistically a challenging project.
Our initial approach was a Method Statement; complete a systematic survey of each shop,
using digital photographs and accurate measurements to ascertain the product requirements
in each case.
The project was carefully planned, to complete a circuit in order to optimise available
timescales and to minimise travelling costs. The project was divided into 2 logical areas;
North and South, and 2 project teams assigned as follows:
NORTH TEAM
Northampton
Scunthorpe
Goole
York
North Shields
Ashington
Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Edinburgh
Glenrothes
Forfar
Dumbarton
Bangor (Northern Ireland)
Celveleys
Lytham St.Annes
Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Northwich
Shrewsbury
SOUTH TEAM
Haverfordwest
Swansea
Halesowen
Kidderminster
Cheltenham
Bath
Wells
Tiverton
Minehead
Teignmouth
Bournemouth
Reading
Bexhill-On-Sea
Hythe
Maidstone
Colchester
Diss
Once these surveys were completed, the actual products required for each shop were
confirmed and the installation phase began - using the same route as the surveys
outlined above.
The British Heart Foundation were very pleased with the work carried out, and to date we
have had NO products either reported faulty or sent back for repair.
The entire 34-shop project was completed within the allocated timescales,
and within budget.