Accessibility

​We want St Catherine’s to be a welcoming and accessible church to all parishioners and visitors. Accessibility is important so that everyone has the same opportunity to participate in a way that suits them best and can feel they belong in our Parish. Often, a small change can make a world of difference to a person and we have appointed dedicated Accessibility Advocates to help make those small changes happen.

Our Accessibility Advocates are Marguerite Delaney and Ruth Crowe, parishioners at St Catherine's who responded to the call-out from the Diocese for volunteers. Accessibility Advocates support people to voice their accessibility needs to clergy, parishes, events and even for pilgrimages. They liaise with the Caritas Accessibility Coordinator to seek supportive ideas for people with accessibility needs and potential opportunities for signposting.

To quote from the Jubilee 2025 Caritas Salford document:​

"Accessibility is about ensuring that everyone can take part and contribute in a way, and to the extent, which suits them best. It is a basic requirement to honour our God-given human dignity and deeper than a matter of convenience. No person should be unable to participate because of an unmet access need. Accessibility barriers tend to exist in terms of a person’s physical, mental and emotional, learning, sensory or communication needs."

Here is a list of some of the practical solutions that St Catherine’s Church already has in place to enable access and inclusion and participation for Parishioners:

• Disable​d parking spaces and drop off area
• Ramp access into Church
• Handrails
• Accessible doors
• Accessible toilet
• Visual contrast strips on steps and stairs
• Induction Loop
• Children’s Liturgy in the Community Centre at 9:30am Mass on Sunday
• Quiet space in the Lady Chapel
• Option of gluten-free hosts
• Refreshments after Masses
• Parish social events advertised
• Four weekend Masses – each one different in style
• Meet and Greeters at all Masses
• Eucharistic Ministers delivering Holy Communion to the housebound
• Parish website which has comprehensive information about Parish life, including an electronic version of our weekly newsletter, link to our YouTube channel containing Father John’s homily (Thought for the week), previous Masses, Services and Reflections

If you, or someone you know, cannot take part or fully participate in Parish worship and Parish life because of an access need – for instance, not being able to read the hymn numbers or the small print on the Mass leaflets, feeling worried about bringing children to church in case they are noisy, not being able to attend church due to mobility issues, having sensory needs that make joining in Church services or Parish events difficult – or any other experiences that might lead to feeling excluded, your Accessibility Advocates are here for you! Working together with you to try to find positive, practical solutions to overcome barriers to access.

There are various ways we may be able to do this – in most cases you probably already know the solution, and we can draw on specialist advice, resources and training from the Caritas, Diocese of Salford, Accessibility Coordinator; plus information about similar challenges from the network of other Accessibility Advocates across the Diocese. 

Ruth and Marguerite both have backgrounds working with people with additional needs, and have contacts with experience and expertise within the Parish and beyond. They will support and represent your views, as needed, respectfully and in confidence, to try and help put solutions into practice.

We are asking you the question: is there a practical change that would make it possible or easier for you or someone you know to take part in Parish worship and Parish life? We are also keen to know about solutions or ideas that you have come up with yourself or seen in practice elsewhere.

​Please get in touch:
Telephone: Ruth Crowe 0785 180 1709
Email: Please email the Diocesan Accessibility Coordinator, Dr Minna Moffatt‑Feldman ([email protected]) with St Catherine's Didsbury in the subject line, Minna will pass messages on to our Accessibility Advocates
In person: at St Catherine's or through Father John
​
Also see https://www.caritassalford.org.uk/service/accessibility-service/