London Gatwick’s Accessibility Manager, Anna-Ruth Cockerham.

London Gatwick’s Accessibility Manager, Anna-Ruth Cockerham, who is participating in TR Sustainability Week 2024, has been named in the UK’s top 100 most influential disabled people, and the only UK airport representative, on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list. 

The awards, which recognise disabled leaders, trailblazers and change-makers, are publicly nominated and judged by a panel of 25 disabled champions including international business leader Dr Shani Dhanda, Chief Executive of Paralympics GB, David Clark, and Coronation Street actor Cherylee Houston.

“It’s an honour to be recognised among a group of such influential and inspiring people from across different sectors, all doing fantastic work to enhance accessibility and the lives of disabled people,” said Cockerham.

“I’m proud to be in a position to help the journeys of so many people at London Gatwick and ensure our passengers and staff have a positive experience.”

This year, Cockerham and London Gatwick have delivered a number of important projects, including relaunching the hub’s Accessibility Days and running regular familiarisation days alongside Guide Dogs UK for puppies in training.

The team has also partnered with AccessAble to launch a series of bespoke Detailed Access Guides.

Furthermore, Gatwick is the UK’s first airport to receive Airports Council International’s (ACI) Level 1 Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation, recognising its commitment to accessibility services through its strategy, policies and initiatives.

“We are incredibly proud of Anna-Ruth being recognised among such an influential group of change-makers,” said Mark Johnston, Chief Operations Officer, London Gatwick.

“Her determination and tenacity in driving positive change for accessibility at London Gatwick has resulted in several projects coming to fruition in recent months, enhancing the passenger experience and ensuring the airport continues to be an industry leader in terms of accessibility.”

The upgraded London Gatwick railway station opened last November with a number of accessibility enhancements, including larger lifts with braille and embossed control buttons, hearing loops on all platforms.

The station concourse has doubled in size and platforms have been widened to make the station easier to move around, particularly for those using wheelchairs.

Cockerham is participating in this year’s TR Sustainability Week, which is taking place from 2-6 December 2024 at TRBusiness.com.

She is part of the panel session on Tuesday 3 December on ‘Breaking down the barriers to travel and shopping’, which runs from 10am-11am CET.

The session will delve into the ways in which airports are ensuring a welcome environment for disabled passengers and those with health conditions, including the steps being taken to build an inclusive environment in store and across the wider terminal estate.

The session will also look at what we can learn from domestic shopping malls or department stores when it comes to delivering a first-class customer service experience for people of all ages, nationalities, languages and backgrounds.

TR Sustainability Week is the duty free and travel retail industry’s only event that’s entirely dedicated to sustainability. Now in its fourth year, it will feature live educational-led webinars broadcast on two days, enhanced by a roster of exclusive interviews features, news and analysis available throughout the week.

The event also features the popular Sustainability Pitch programme, which sees entrants putting their eco-conscious products, brands and initiatives under the scrutiny of an esteemed panel of sustainability guardians for chance to be awarded ‘Hero’ or ‘Trailblazer’ status.

The event is free to attend. You can register for access to the webinars and to receive updates on the content direct to your inbox via the button above.

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