WIRRAL is to host a conference on disability next month focusing on removing the barriers that prevent people fully participating in community life.

The event, on Friday October 10, at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, has been organised by Wirral Council on behalf of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and is sponsored by Magenta Living.

It will explore a new national initiative "The Accessible Britain Challenge," which aims to make communities more inclusive and accessible by engaging and working with disabled people to remove barriers that get in the way of them contributing fully and actively.

Town hall leader Cllr Phil Davies will address the conference detailing how an innovative programme, devised by the local authority and designed to help evacuate disabled people from buildings in an emergency, has been adopted by other councils, and is used as an example of best practice.

He said: "I am keen to use this conference to demonstrate our ability to work together to make our community more inclusive for disabled people, and the evacuation scheme we trailed at Wirral is just one example of how public buildings can be made more accessible to be used safely, by everyone.

‘"The conference will be a focus for the work of local authorities in meeting the 'Accessible Britain Challenge', and we hope be a lively forum to encourage collaboration and co-production between disabled people and the organisations attending."

Guest speakers will be from Accessible Britain Challenge, Merseyside Fire Service, Merseyside Disability Federation, Merseytravel, Liverpool FC and Visit England.

The event will be held from 9.30am to 4pm.

Admission is free. For further details, contact Ged Smyth on 0151 691 8217 or email gerardsmyth@wirral.gov.uk.