Improving accessibility with Mend the Gap

Date: 09th July 2024

Two new access improvements, led by community organisation Mobility Issues Group for Goring and Streatley (MIGGS), have now been completed.

A new, £7000 orientation map has been installed at Goring and Streatley railway station, highlighting routes around the village and its neighbouring countryside that are accessible to users with different mobility needs.

The map was recently unveiled to an audience of residents, councillors, Great Western Railway staff, and representatives from both the Chilterns National Landscape and North Wessex Downs National Landscape teams.

“Goring and Streatley station is the most accessible and picturesque stop-off point for everyone to enjoy the Thames valley, including disabled people,” said John Boler, Chair of MIGGS.

A group of people, some in wheelchairs, with a new information board.

Improvements have also been made to make the footpath which runs alongside the Bull Inn, in Streatley, accessible to all.

The new mobility scooter, wheelchair and pushchair-friendly path replaces the previously narrow, uneven steps and enables safer access to the countryside beyond. It means residents will no longer have to walk near a busy crossroads, and offers a safer route for families walking to and from the local primary school.

The new path also provides a route for visitors and walkers to access National Trust sites Lardon Chase, Lough Down and The Holies.

Mend the Gap is enhancing areas of the Chilterns and North Wessex Downs National Landscapes negatively impacted by the electrification of the Great Western Railway. It is a joint programme between the two National Landscapes and the Railway Action Group.

Find out more about Mend the Gap projects