About Us
Our Vision for Wells
A city where all reasonable adjustments have been made to allow disabled people access to facilities and services and to participate fully in city life. A place disabled people feel included, safe and welcome.
Who we are
We are a volunteer led community organisation responding to the needs of people who face physical accessibility issues; particularly wheelchair & mobility scooter users and people with a visual impairment. We work with local government and partner organisations to ensure people with disabilities are fully integrated into Wells city life.
We have established the Accessible Wells Community Interest Company Limited by Guarantee. This means all funds received by Accessible Wells can only be used to improve accessibility in Wells for disabled people.
We have learned that able-bodied people are not best placed to understand the challenges of disability or the needs they create. Therefore, all our activities are prioritised by, informed by and include people with physical disabilities.
Our Story
In 2022 our good friend Brian Clarke was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). When Brian and his neighbours, Theo van Hensbergen and Bob Payne, started to go for walks around Wells they were surprised to discover quite how many challenges wheelchair users face.
Rather than accept that the mediaeval heritage of our city should limit the lives of people with accessibility needs, the trio decided to do something to change things for the better.
First they surveyed the pavements in all the central streets in Wells against government standards and raised multiple complaints in a detailed 60-page report. The report was then formally submitted to Somerset Council, the responsible body, at a Proper Pavements for Wells rally in December 2023. The report highlighted that (in the city centre alone) there were 35 high-risk locations, and wheelchair users frequently need to make journeys 10 times longer than able-bodied people.
These deficiencies also led to the Somerset Council being found to be in breach of the Highways Act, the Road Traffic Act, and the Equalities Act. Since submitting our complaints and recommendations in 2023, we submitted a 1400-signature petition, and Brian served a formal complaint to Somerset Council.
In March 2025, as a result of our campaign, Somerset Council and Wells City Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work in partnership with Accessible Wells to plan the best way to improve disabled accessibility in Wells. This partnership has started to yield numerous improvements and is slowly leading to a culture change that understands how reasonable adjustments can enable disabled people.
