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Accessible Clothing Project Receives Funding Boost



People living with disabilities and age-related mobility challenges will be able to enjoy improved independence thanks to a project that adapts everyday clothing to meet their individual needs.


Sharon Tombs and the team at Dressability are expanding their Mobility Matters project, helping more people stay comfortable and confident in the clothes they choose to wear.


Based in Wiltshire, Dressability is a specialist garment adaptation charity that works with disabled and older people throughout the UK. Its skilled dressmakers make custom alterations that help clients dress more independently, move safely and maintain their own personal style without compromising comfort while using mobility aids.


The Mobility Matters project focuses on removing the barriers that standard clothing can create, such as trip hazards or loose pieces catching on wheelchairs, that most of us never need to think about.


The adaptations made by Sharon and her colleagues range from replacing fiddly fastenings such as shirt buttons with magnetic alternatives, adjusting garments for wheelchair users, accommodating spinal curvature and reinforcing clothing for children who achieve mobility through crawling.


By tailoring garments to meet individual mobility needs, the charity helps people reduce reliance on others and remain active in everyday life. The service also supports dignity, choice and self-esteem, ensuring that functionality does not come at the expense of personal identity and style.


The project has received a £2,490 donation from the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust, the charitable branch of the UK’s largest manufacturer and seller of wheelchair accessible vehicles, Allied Mobility.


The funding will help Dressability to adapt more than 30 garments for people who need them, and continue delivering its specialist service to people whose quality of life can be improved through carefully considered clothing adaptations.


Sharon Tombs, General Manager at Dressability, said:

"A huge thank you to the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust for their donation. We are entirely reliant on the support of organisations such as these to deliver this valuable service."

"We will use the money carefully and effectively as part of our Mobility Matters project, enabling us to alter many more garments."


Ben Jenkins, National Sales Manager at Allied Mobility, said:

"At Allied Mobility, we supply wheelchair accessible vehicles to customers across the UK and we understand how important independence and personal choice are to people's daily lives."

"Style and comfort needn’t be given up in the name of accessibility. We are delighted to support Dressability’s Mobility Matters project as it helps bridge the gap, ensuring more people can wear the clothes they love while maintaining comfort and dignity."


The funding will help ensure more people can access clothing adapted to their personal needs, allowing them to move more freely, maintain their own individual style and enjoy greater confidence in everyday life.



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Oct 3, 2024
2 min read


Global engineering steel specialist, William Hare Group, is celebrating after seven of its projects were recognised at prestigious construction industry awards.


The successes included three awards and a commendation at the Structural Steel Design Awards 2024, and a further three wins at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Awards 2024.


Jointly sponsored by the British Constructional Steel Association and Steel for Life, the Structural Steel Design Awards saw prizes go to 8 Bishopsgate and n2 Nova Evolved in London and the Aviva Studios build in Manchester – with judges praising their ‘outstanding quality by showcasing structural steelwork at its finest’.


A fourth William Hare project, Paddington Square in London, won a commendation, with judges praising ‘a landmark structure visible through layers of diaphanous steel and glass elevations’.


Judges at the Structural Steel Design Awards, said of the 8 Bishopsgate project:

“Eschewing the creation of a simplistic city icon, this 50-storey building successfully combines a fragmented form, determined by function and site constraints, with a rigorous structural system. Impeccably constructed through a Construction Management contract, this is a top-class project.”

The project was also a big winner at the CTBUH Awards, with the 50-storey, 203-metre-high skyscraper winning the award for Best Tall Building by Height, 200–299m.


Battersea Power Station Phase 2, a complex and challenging project for which William Hare supplied a total of 20,000 tonnes of structural steel – including one of the largest single pieces of steel ever manufactured in the UK – won the Construction Award.


While the Structure Award was won by 21 Moorfields, a 17-storey all-steel structure erected over an operational London Underground station – which was described as a remarkable feat of engineering.


Matthew Nesbit, Group Board Director at William Hare Group, comments:

“We are delighted to have played our part in ensuring these buildings are recognised among the very best in the construction sector. We’re honoured to work with such fantastic colleagues from across our industry to help shape London’s skyline."

“Some of these projects required complex and innovative solutions to ensure they came to fruition. For 21 Moorfield, the construction methodology demanded a temporary works solution that navigated the fully operational underground stations beneath. We needed to build in a very specific sequence that was derived by some very complex engineering assessments. A true test of the skills and ingenuity of our fantastic team.”


William Hare Group was established in 1945 and provides value-engineered steel solutions to some of the world’s most innovative and sustainable construction projects. A family-owned and run business, it has a turnover of c£300 million and employs 2,000 people worldwide.


Picture caption:

The 8 Bishopsgate project in London has won two major industry awards.


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