Borders Distillery

Scottish tourist attraction, Borders Distillery, has become the first official distillery listed on the WelcoMe platform, which confirms that its building is more accessible to disabled visitors.

The distillery building, formerly the Hawick electricity company, was restored and is now the first Scotch Whisky Distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837.

During its two-year renovation, architects Annie McPherson and Michael Gray ensured the building was modernised with sustainability and accessibility in mind.

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Kirsten Blackburn, Head of Marketing at The Borders Distillery said: “The entire Borders Distillery team is once again ready to welcome tourists to our innovative distillery.

“From step free access to built in lifts, our 200 year old building has open arms to anyone who wants to discover the wonders of distilling.

“This partnership with WelcoMe has come at the perfect time, as our distillers get back into the swing of showcasing the treasures of our Scottish Borders spirit.

“We are honoured to be listed as the first in the Scotch Whisky industry to feature on the platform.”

Andrew Nairn, Distillery Manager at The Borders, who sits on the Scotch Whisky Association’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Andrew comments: “True diversity and inclusion is a core value of our distillery.

“The opportunity to showcase that in real and practical ways is tremendously important to us.”

‘WelcoMe’, which was designed by the disability solutions provider Neatebox, is a unique web-based customer-service tool to support accessible customer experiences and enhance staff training, putting disabled people in the driving seat of their customer-service experiences.

The web-based service is free for individual users and available for a small monthly fee for businesses.

Users build and share an accessibility profile, their specific needs when visiting a WelcoMe venue, and arrival information.

WelcoMe venues receive real time training and clear guidance on how to interact with customers directly related to their needs, disabilities or conditions they disclose.

Gavin Neate, CEO and Founder of WelcoMe added: “75 per cent of disabled people have left a shop or deserted a business because of poor disability awareness or understanding.

“At present, the challenges are even greater for the more than 14 million disabled people living in the UK. We recognise the importance of immediate action and can install and deliver the system in a couple of days to help manage the disruptive effects of Covid-19.”

Features and benefits of The Borders Distillery accessibility include disabled parking, a lift, meet & greet, accessible toilet facilities, step-free access and wheelchair accessibility.

‘WelcoMe’ is already used in a variety of venues across the UK, ranging from banks, transport, retail, hospitality, government, hotels, offices and galleries.

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