A project is underway in North Wales to recruit young disability champions to enhance access at tourism and hospitality venues.

The campaign is being led by PIWS, a community interest company, seeking disabled individuals to become Access Ambassadors.

Their role will be to evaluate facilities and suggest improvements for more inclusivity.

This initiative aims to tap into the £274 billion 'purple pound', the collective spending capacity of UK households with at least one disabled person.

PIWS highlights that Wales has 670,000 registered disabled individuals, representing over 20 per cent of the population.

Most events, attractions, and hospitality businesses are currently missing out on this potentially lucrative market.

PIWS founder, Davina Carey-Evans, who has personal experience with disability, said: "We hear a lot about the power of the LGBTQ+ community’s pink pound but the purple pound is also very valuable and in accessible tourism across UK it is estimated to have a potential worth of £15.5 billion a year.

"Gearing up your business to be user-friendly for the disabled isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes commercial sense too and it needn’t cost the earth either."

The project involves young people aged between 16 and 24, who will be paid a wage to assess venues across Wales.

Their feedback will help attractions and other venues understand the challenges faced by families, including those with hidden disabilities, enabling them to make necessary adjustments.

Ms Carey-Evans added: "It’s not just about wheelchair access – people in wheelchairs make up just nine per cent of UK’s registered disabled and a lot can be done that is straightforward and very inexpensive.

"There is a need for quiet safe spaces because sometimes the excitement of visiting somewhere new can be overwhelming for some impairments and an empty corner with seating can be ideal for them to chill out if they’re becoming over stimulated or anxious."

PIWS are appealing for disability ambassadors (Image: Mandy Jones) The project also includes an hour-long Introduction to Accessibility Awareness Workshop for all staff at attractions, and a series of four day-long courses for appointed Accessibility Champions.

Ms Carey-Evans encourages participation from those living with a disability, emphasising the importance of collective effort in seeing change happen sooner.

She said: "All providers could employ a person with a disability to support them at their receptions for example for a couple of hours each day, which is a way of breaking down the barriers of communication and understanding.

"Many young disabled adults are very lonely, isolated and unemployed."

Manon Wyn Jones, who has a young daughter with spina bifida, is helping recruit the new ambassadors and playing an ambassadorial role herself.

She said: "Organising a family day out can be quite stressful, websites are not always clear and you really have to do your homework before setting out so the work that PIWS is doing will make such a difference – before that it wasn’t that simple."

For more information about PIWS, visit their website.