Sedgefield Town Council have begun the process of identifying funding schemes that can support the cost of replacing the wheelchair lift down to the Parish Hall’s main hall. This lift is an essential facility for many of our users and it’s important that we continue to provide access to the main hall for everyone. The need to replace the lift was determined at the most recent scheduled lift inspection and the specification made for a similar but more modern platform lift. A quotation has now been received for the work, and we hope to obtain funding in order to complete the replacement over the summer months when the hall is at its quietest. The lift can continue to be used safely in the meantime, and we’ll keep you updated with the schedule for the work.

Following feedback and testing with some of our regular Parish Hall users, we have now identified the limitations of our current Induction Loop system and have approached a contractor to resolve these issues, namely the separation of the microphone channels. When the work is complete, users who hire the town council’s microphones (for a returnable £20 deposit) will have access to a lapel mic and two handheld mics that are connected to both the PA system and Induction Loop, each on its own channel for simultaneous use.

We’ll be carrying out a full review of the accessibility in Sedgefield Parish Hall over the summer 2025 and would appreciate hearing any first-hand experiences and feedback from our valued users.