Aeroplane and TV actress mark charity’s windfall

Heritage Ability celebrate news of the lottery cash at Cockington Court. Actress Sally Phillips far right

ACIRCLING aeroplane trailing a long banner broke the news of a lottery windfall for a project to give people with disabilities better access to some of Devon’s best locations.

The light aeroplane circled over Cockington to break the good news to representatives of Heritage Ability.

There were cheers and applause as the plane went overhead trailing the message ‘Her- itage Ability: You Have Won!’ and they realised they had scooped the £5,000 prize.

Actress Sally Phillips, of Bridget Jones, Smack the Pony and Miranda fame, was there to celebrate with them.

Heritage Ability was named Best Heritage Project in the National Lottery Awards, the annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.

It is a project run by a small charity, Living Options Devon. With the unwavering support of 320 volunteers and funding from the National Lottery, Heritage Ability is helping 20 heritage destinations in the South West become more accessible over a three year period.

Destinations include Cockington and Kent’s Cavern.

Heather Brown of Living Options Devon said: “This is all about creating solutions that provide a wide range of access.

“We have never really entered anything like this before, and we knew there was a lot of competition.

“We are really pleased. We didn’t have a clue we had won until the aeroplane came over.”

Sally Phillips, who has a son who lives with Down’s Syndrome, said access to places like Cockington was an important issue.

She said: “I have quite a few friends who use wheelchairs, and until you hang out with somebody with a wheelchair you don’t realise how hard it is to get anywhere.

“This is a grass-roots project that is user-led. Disabled people are telling them what they want, and they’re doing it.”

Hannah Worthington, the Green Heart access officer at Cockington, said Heritage Ability was already opening up areas to people.

“For us it has highlighted how much we can achieve,” she said.

Heritage Ability will have its work featured on a special BBC One programme on September 26.

Picture: PAUL LEVIE