The Blue Badge Access Awards, which champions venues delivering "thoughtful, design-led" accessibility solutions, recognises those that have gone above and beyond in their mission to achieve inclusivity for all.
The ceremony, at Manchester’s Hotel Brooklyn, brings together two major design competitions – the Bespoke Access Awards and the Blue Badge Style Awards.
Among the winners of the 11 awards, sponsored by organisations such as Bespoke Hotels, HEWI, IoH, WelcoMe and ANON Drinks, were Purcell Architects, which received the Leonard Cheshire Award for Most Inclusive Venue/Organisation, and chartered Riba architect Amy Francis-Smith, who won the Bespoke Hotels Award for Access Champion of The Year.
Elsewhere, winners of the Celia Thomas Prize, Conceptual Design for Disabled Guests, Caroe Architecture and Inclusive Guest Innovation, Centaur Robotics, took home a share of a £20,000 prize fund.
Fiona Jarvis, chair of judges and founder of Blue Badge Style, said the awards recognised businesses and establishments that have "addressed accessibility imaginatively and thoughtfully, which is what every hotel and hospitality venue should be striving" to achieve.
"We couldn’t believe the high standard of applications we received this year and are delighted to see that the hospitality sector is beginning to welcome stylish accessibility with open arms," she said.
Robin Sheppard, co-founder of the Blue Badge Access Awards and president of Bespoke Hotels, added it was "crucial" to make the hotel experience "more joyful and inclusive" for both disabled and non-disabled guests.
"Fiona and I have made it our mission to advocate for inclusivity in the hospitality sector," he said. "Although we recognise the hospitality sector still has a long way to go, we were delighted to gather together for an evening and pay homage to like-minded individuals who have produced or constructed an offering that strives to promote equality for all."
