Emma’s campaign for better disabled access at Kirkby station

Emma Donaldson, of Hucknall, has been working for months to build up a petition, which now has around 500 names, to put pressure on Network Rail to improve the level of access at Kirkby.

Currently she has to call ahead for a member of staff to help her get her wheelchair down the steps at the station.

Emma said ‘’I just think that in 2015 it should be possible for someone in a wheelchair to be able to travel independently.

“I can get on the train at Hucknall ok but then I can’t get off at Kirkby, I have friends there that I struggle to visit, and actually there’s a lot of places I just can’t go because of the access.”

Emma has been supported by Sherwood MP Mark Spencer, who said: “Emma is right that in this day and age we should be able to give people the ability to travel independently.

It’s important not just to Emma at Kirkby but actually to thousands of disabled people using public transport across the country.

“I’m happy to support her, to be out here gathering names, and I’ll hand her petition in to Parliament when the time comes.”

The MP has a copy of the petition for people to sign at his Hucknall office, on Vine Terrace.

Emma was also supported by her local District Councillor Ben Bradley, who said: “It’s really important that Emma and other wheelchair users have the ability to get around just as easily as the rest of us. It’s a fairly simple fix and we should be doing everything we can to make it happen.

People talking to us here are really supportive, and if there’s anything that needs to happen within the Council then I’ll push them on her behalf’’.

You can follow her campaign on Twitter at #getkirkbystationaccessible.