National Trust Stourhead add all-terrain wheelchairs to their fleet of accessible transport

20th October 2016

The National Trust Stourhead based in Wiltshire have added a fleet of 4 MT Push all terrain wheelchairs for visitors to use to help access the beautiful landscape garden.

Access for all as National Trust, Stourhead add all-terrain wheelchairs to their fleet of accessible transport

The Mountain Trike Company who manufacture and produce all-terrain wheelchairs have been working with the National Trust for some time and in 2015 developed the MT Push, a buddy chair. This was developed from the original Mountain Trike wheelchair at the behest of the Visitor and Services Manager at the National Trust Brownsea Island site. They could see the benefit of offering manual off-road wheelchairs to enable those less mobile to enjoy the Island, but were worried the lever drive system used on the Mountain Trike could prove too difficult for some visitors. The MT Push is the perfect solution as it offers the same outstanding off-road performance to that of the Mountain Trike but the lever drive system has been removed and a push handle added which is located behind the rider and where the steering and braking takes place by the riders buddy. Hand rims have been added for rider safety and armrests for rider comfort.

A fleet of 3 MT Push wheelchairs have now been in service on Brownsea Island in Dorset for the last 2 summers and following this success the Mountain Trike Company are delighted to announce that the National Trust Stourhead site based in Wiltshire have just taken delivery of a fleet of 4 MT Push wheelchairs for their visitors to use to help access the beautiful landscape garden.

Leanne Clements, Visitor and Volunteering Experience Manager at Stourhead, who initiated the idea and could see the benefit of these all terrain wheelchairs on the site, says:

“I am always looking for ways to enhance our visitor experiences, Stourhead garden is beautiful and everyone should be offered a chance to wind away several hours enjoying the peace and tranquillity Stourhead has to offer. We work hard around the garden to create good paths, but due to the nature of the landscape I am aware that those less mobile can find it difficult to get around so I was looking for inclusive off-road transport that at the same time wouldn’t cause damage to the landscape. I’d heard about the success of the MT Push on our Brownsea Island site and arranged for a demo of the Mountain Trike products at Stourhead and I knew straight away that the MT Push would be the perfect solution to make the world-famous garden accessible to all our visitors. The only dilemma was what colour to choose! Our 4 MT Push wheelchairs look perfect in Mint Candy and I’m looking forward to welcoming our less mobile visitors to experience and enjoy the beauty of Stourhead garden.”

Tim Morgan inventor and Managing Director at the Mountain Trike Company adds:

“I’m really excited that the National Trust Stourhead has become another National Trust site to offer the MT Push for their visitors. The MT Push can open up the outdoors for wheelchair users or those less mobile, the lightweight chair can be pushed with little effort over any terrain, air suspension offers a comfy ride and hydraulic disc brakes offer excellent all weather control – allowing enjoyment for everyone. It is fantastic to see that the National Trust are ensuring their sites are accessible for everyone – we at Mountain Trike love the outdoors and are a great believer of access for all - I have no doubt that the gardens and terrain are ideal for the MT Push and that they will be of great benefit to their visitors. Hopefully it will encourage more wheelchair users to the site and everyone can enjoy a great day out.

Tim goes onto say, “We are already in talks with several other National Trust sites so we’re very hopeful that other sites will have their own MT Push fleets allowing accessibility for more visitors to more sites.”