Overview

The SportScotland National Sport Training Centre Inverclyde. Largs, offers training facilities for both elite athletes and the general public. A £12m redevelopment has seen the centre undergo major changes, including the addition of accommodation with the capacity for 120 wheelchair users. As part of disabled access day 2019, I visited the centre as a Euan's Guide ambassador and goto try boccia and archery. The wheelchair access of the centre, whilst impressive in its accommodation and sports halls, has one or two areas that need some small improvements such as the gym and the accessible changing facilities.

Transport & Parking

3.5

Their is a car park at the back of the building which has blue badge parking spaces near the front door. However, the centre and it's car park are situated on a hillside, which makes navigating the car park tricky. As the centre is situated on the outskirts of the town, the nearest train station is Largs train station, over one mile away. There are local bus services, but driving to the centre is recommended.

Access

4

Thanks to it's redevelopment, the centre has a good level of access. There are two large lifts which can easily hold three wheelchair users at one time. The centre accommodation has capacity for 120 wheelchair users, with accessible twin rooms complete with hoists, and adapted wet-floor shower area bathrooms. The centre's main sports hall has three large power-assisted doors at it;s entrance. It has equipment for a range of para-sports, which Boccia being one of it's specialist areas. The centre's gym facility was a bit disappointing from an access point of view. The gym is very cramped in terms of space, making navigation around the room somewhat tricky due to the large amount of equipment that is packed into the gym. This could make things difficult for a wheelchair user during busy periods. Of all the equipment, there was one rowing machine which was fully adapted for a wheelchair user. Other equipment could be accessed via transferring. On the ground floor there is both a restaurant and a cafe which provide catering options. Tables in each are at a good height for wheelchair users.

Toilets

3

There are plenty of accessible toilets throughout the centre. The toilets are not yet at changing places standards, although there are plans to upgrade to this in the near future. I was disappointed to see that the changing bed in the toilet was not height adjustable and was too high to allow a wheelchair user to transfer independently. Each toilet has an emergency red cord and plenty of space to move about in a wheelchair, as well as grab rails. The accessible changing rooms also have wet floor showers with grab rails and a changing bench.

Staff

5

The staff at the centre were incredibly friendly and keen to make the most of Disabled access day. I do feel however that they could have perhaps provided a larger range of activities across the centre, to make more of the day.