Accessibility Guide for the Raptor Foundation

info@raptorfoundation.org.uk , 01487 741140, www.raptorfoundation.org.uk

Contact for accessibility enquiries: Elizabeth Blows

Welcome

The Raptor Foundation can be found on the B1040 between St Ives and Somersham in Cambridgeshire, where we have been introducing our visitors to our collection of Birds of Prey for over 25 years. 

Whether you take a tour, visit our shop or cafe, or participate in one of our experience days, we guarantee a fantastic experience. 

We are fully accessible for wheelchair users and can cater for anyone with other specific access requirements.  

Please get in touch if you require any further information about specific access or need advice on planning your visit.

At a Glance

 Level Access

• There is level access from the car park and main entrance to:
  • The Aviaries
  • Flying Display Areas (indoor during inclement weather)
  • Education Room
  • Reptile House
  • Silent Wings Cafe
  • Unisex Accessible Toilet
  • Falcon’s Nest Accommodation Rooms
  • The Shop

Visual

• Large print menu in Silent Wings Tearoom.
• Dogs are not permitted, except for assistance dogs.
• Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

Getting here

The Raptor Foundation
The Heath
St. Ives Road
Woodhurst
Cambridgeshire
PE28 3BT

 Travel by public transport

• No Direct Public Transport is available to the Raptor Foundation.
• There is no pavement access to the Raptor Foundation.
• The nearest bus station is in St Ives 3.5 miles / 5.6 km from the Raptor Foundation.
• The nearest train station is Huntingdon Station. The train station is 8.8 miles / 14.2 km from the Raptor Foundation.

 Travel by taxi

• You can get a taxi with a taxi company that has a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
• Accessible taxis should be booked in advance. To access the attraction please ask to be dropped off at the top of our car park.

 Parking

• There is ample parking at the attraction, with 75 spaces, 6 of which are blue badge holder bays.   The surface from the car park area to the entrance of the Raptor Foundation is fully paved.  
  Arrival

 Path to main entrance

• From the car park to the main entrance, there is level access.
• The path is 990mm wide, or more.
• The path is gently sloped.

Main entrance

• The main entrance has level access.
• The door is 850mm wide.
• The main door hinged.
• The walkway to the reception desk is level access. The floor is carpeted.

Getting around inside

Visual Impairment – General Information

• The majority of the site is outdoors providing natural lighting.
• The Reptile House and Education Room have low lighting.
• The Shop and Cafe have large windows providing natural lighting

Ticket/ information desk

Ticketing area

• From the main entrance to the desk, there is level access. The route is 850mm wide, or more.

The Aviaries

• From the main entrance to this area, there is ramp access through a courtyard garden.
• From the courtyard garden, the route is 850mm wide, or more consisting of block paved walkways.

Flying Display Areas

• There are two Flying Display Areas.
• The Outdoor Area is located at the far side of the aviaries accessible via block paved walkways
• The Indoor Flying Area is a large hangar located adjacent to the Courtyard Garden.  It is accessible via block paved walkways. The door is 770mm wide
• The Indoor Flying Area has a large concrete floor.

Education Room

• The Education Room is located to the right of the aviaries accessible via block paved walkways
• The walkways slope toward the entrance door.
• The door is 770mm wide.
• Displays consist of poster information and physical examples.
• The Education Room has low lighting.

The Reptile House

• The Reptile House is located at the within the Courtyard Garden accessible via block paved walkways
• The walkway slopes up toward the entrance door.
• The door is 770mm wide.
• Displays consist of vivariums and open air enclosures.
• The Reptile House has low lighting.

Silent Wings Tearoom

• Silent Wings Cafe is located through the Main Reception.
• The flooring consists of a mixture of carpeted and tiled floors.
• There is a slope adjacent to the serving area.

Unisex Accessible Toilet

• There is a public toilet for disabled visitors.
• From the main entrance to the public toilet, there is level access. The toilet door is 850mm wide.
• There is 1.3m in front of the toilet. The toilet seat is 450mm high.
• There are horizontal grab rails located to the left and right of the toilet. There are baby changing facilities within this toilet.

Falcon’s Nest Accommodation Rooms

• The Foundation has 9 self-catering rooms available.
• Room 3 is wheelchair accessible with wet room.
• The floors are a mixture of carpet and tiles.

The Shop

• The shop forms part of the main reception, there is level access. The door is 850mm wide.
• The route through the shop is 800mm wide, or more.
• The flooring within the shop is carpet and wood. There are three entrances to the shop. The main entrance is 850mm wide, the courtyard garden entrance is 850mm and the Silent Wings Cafe entrance is 850mm. Our staff are available to customers who require any additional assistance.

Place to eat and drink

Silent Wings Tearoom

• To get to a table, there are no steps.
• The menu is offered in large print.
• The route through the dining area is 800mm wide, or more.
• There is no background music.
• We cater for sugar free (diabetic), vegetarian and gluten free (celiacs) specific diets.
• With advanced notice, all dietary requirements can be catered for. We also provide soya milk for coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The nearest accessible toilet is located between the main entrance and the tearoom.

Customer care support

Accessibility equipment

• We welcome assistance dogs and can provide water bowls for them. Please ask staff for assistance.

Emergency evacuation procedures

• We have emergency evacuation procedures for disabled visitors.
• In the case of an evacuation, all customers inside the Attraction will be led to safety by a member of the team or by a member of the fire brigade.

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Guide last updated: 10 January 2023