Worthing Disability Campaigner Mary Day, 87, Takes Fight To The Council

Saturday, 22 October 2022 06:00

By Jessica Hubbard, Local Democracy Reporter

An 87-year-old disability campaigner has taken her fight to Worthing Borough Council.

Mary Day is a mobility scooter user and campaigns for the rights of disabled people in Worthing.

She said the town was getting less accessible, not more, and told of everyday challenges faced by scooter users including cars parked on pavements, outside tables and chairs at restaurants blocking the way, not being able to enter some shops, and being unable to use public toilets.

In June last year, Mary staged a seafront protest and was joined by several councillors who wanted to show their support. On Tuesday (October 18), she attended Worthing Borough Council’s full meeting to question councillors on the issue and told them mobility scooter users ‘have nowhere to go in Worthing at all’.

She said:

“You can’t get in the coffee shops, there’s a couple of big stores you can get in but now Christmas is coming you won’t get in. There must be somewhere you can give us and the only place I can think of is the Glynn Owen Centre. We could have tea, we could play games, we could do anything, we could be in our own world.”

Mary said she had also faced abuse as a scooter user.

“No one else wants to know you,” she said, “Just give a smile and a wave, we’re no different to anyone else.”

Mary asked councillors what they were doing for disabled people in the town.

Cabinet member for community wellbeing Rosey Whorlow (Lab, Central) said members of her own family have had to use a mobility scooter or wheelchair and faced similar challenges to Mary.

“Clearly, this is something we really do need to address,” said the councillor. “We are working on putting together a partnership with other people with different disabilities.”

Speaking to Mary, she added:

“This is work we are going to be beginning after Christmas and we did wonder if you would want to be a part of that to represent people on mobility vehicles. Maybe this is a project we can begin that you can help us follow through.”