KIRKGATE Shopping Centre in Bradford has backed a campaign to make shopping centres accessible for everyone with disabilities and health conditions by supporting Purple Tuesday today.

Purple Tuesday sees shopping centres and retailers introduce measures to ensure visitors’ shopping experience is much more inclusive for those with physical and hidden disabilities.

Kirkgate Shopping has gotten on board by providing all staff with training in supporting customers with additional needs. This training included understanding the needs of customers with physical disabilities, learning difficulties, dementia, autism, the very young and elderly. The training is on top of the World Host Customer service training all staff participated in last year.

Centre manager Catherine Riley said: “We understand how the challenges our customers face in their everyday lives affect them. Small kindnesses from friendly staff make a big difference. I lost both my parents to dementia and they were on the receiving end of random acts of kindness by strangers on numerous occasions. It helped our family immeasurably at a very difficult time. It’s important that my colleagues are able to assist all of our customers whatever challenges they may be facing.”