Access Keys

Printable logo of Vale of White Horse District Council

Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Disability equality information and contacts

This page provides information about local services and opportunities aiming to improve access for disabled people in the Vale of White Horse, including:

"Access to Leisure" passes - If you live in the Vale and receive particular benefits which relate to your disability (e.g. disabled living) or you are registered as a disabled person, you can apply for a free ‘Access to Leisure’ pass. This offers you an approximate 30 per cent discount from the published fees and charges during off peak time.

The pass operates at the following four Council-owned leisure centres:

  • Faringdon 
  • Wantage
  • The White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre, Abingdon
  • Abingdon and Tilsley Park, Abingdon.

Find out more by going to our Access to Leisure Pass page.

Access guides for local leisure centres - Residents in the Vale can now get hold of new access guides which aim to provide detailed access information about the Council’s leisure centres in the district.

The free guides provide useful and clear information about the availability of accessible toilets and changing facilities, hearing loops, automatic entrance doors, accessible lifts and more.

One guide covers the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre in Abingdon. You can download a copy of the guide from the right of the page.  Alternatively, you will soon be to get hard copies directly from the Centre or from the Council’s Local Service Point (based at the Council offices, Abingdon). Hard copies can also sent to individuals upon request.

The other guide covers all the other leisure centres in the Vale which are managed on behalf of the Council by SOLL Leisure. This guide also covers leisure facilities in South Oxfordshire (including Didcot) which are managed by SOLL on behalf of South Oxfordshire District Council. You can download a copy from the right hand side of this page.

Free copies are also available by visiting or calling any of the SOLL leisure centres in the Vale:

  • Abbey Meadows (Abingdon) 01235 530678
  • Faringdon Leisure Centre 01367 241755
  • Tilsley Park (Abingdon) 01235 524524
  • Wantage Leisure Centre 01235 766201

Alternatively, you can pick up a copy of the guide at the Council’s Local Service Points in both Abingdon and Wantage.

Assisted travel and bus passes

The Council offers assisted travel schemes to help older and disabled people travel around the Vale. These schemes include a free bus pass to eligible residents and reimbursed costs for travel to and from hospitals for people on certain benefits.

For more information, go to the Assisted travel and bus passes page of our website.

Disabled Facilities Grant

If you are having problems living in your home because of a disability, you may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The Grant can be used to pay for suitable adaptations to your property (up to £25,000) to enable you to continue living there without hinderance.

The Council, with the support of Social Services, provides this mandatory grant.

For more information, please go to the Disabled Facilities Grant page of our website.

The Council’s assisted waste collection service

If you have difficulties putting out your rubbish and recycling due to a disability and there is no one else to put it out for you, we can help. We can arrange for our waste collection team to collect your rubbish and recycling from your doorstep (rather than from the road side).

To find out if you are eligible for this service, please contact the Council on 01235 520202 or email waste.team@whitehorsedc.gov.uk

Vale Disability Access Information Leaflet

This free leaflet was put together by the Vale Disability Access Group, in partnership with the Vale Housing Association. It provides useful information on a wide range of local services and opportunities which aim to support disabled people in the Vale: 

  • List of local support groups, with their contact details
  • National Key Scheme (Radar) and a list of accessible public toilets provided by the Vale of White Horse District Council
  • Local Octabus Dial-a-Ride bus service
  • Disabled parking
  • Disabled (blue badge) scheme
  • Message in a bottle initiative
  • Benefits for disabled people and their carers

You can download a copy of this leaflet from the righthand side of this page. Alternatively, you can pick up a leaflet from the Council offices or from the Vale Housing Association offices in Abingdon.

Information for carers 

Just under five million people in England provide unpaid "informal" care for disabled friends or relatives. In the Vale, over ten thousand people are unpaid carers (this is over 9 per cent of residents).

An informal carer is someone, who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without their help. They often don’t see themselves as carers – they’re just doing what they need to do to help somebody they care about. 

Anybody can become a carer, irrespective of culture, gender, religion or age. For example, a young person may find themselves having to care for a disabled parent.

Being an informal carer is a rewarding experience but there can be times when carers themselves need support. Help and advice is available locally:

  • South and Vale Carers Centre in Didcot offers practical help and advice to carers in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse. They currently run a young carers support project which includes monthly trips out to give the young people a break and the opportunity to have some fun with other young carers. You can call into the Centre at any time between 9am – 4pm, Monday – Friday (5 Lydalls Road, Didcot, OX11 7HX). Alternatively, you can email carers@svcarers.org.uk or call 01235 510212.
  • The Carers in Oxfordshire website provides useful information for informal carers on a range of topics, including carers’ rights and benefits and relevant support services.

Age Concern Oxfordshire’s 50+ Ways - A directory of resources for older people and their carers

The aim of this directory is to provide a guide to the large number of local and national services for older people and to give details of eligibility and how to contact these organisations.

You can download a copy of this directory from this page. Alternatively, contact Age Concern Oxfordshire if you would like a hard copy – telephone 01235 849400 or email admin@ageconcernoxon.org.uk.

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