Royal recognition for innovative social enterprise

Nimbus Disability has been presented with its Queen’s Award for Enterprise, which recognises the social enterprise’s innovation.

Last year, it was announced that the Pride Park-based organisation, run by disabled people for disabled people, was to receive the award for innovation for its Access Card scheme.

Recently, Nimbus was formally presented with the award by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire Elizabeth Fothergill CBE and Deputy Lord-Lieutenant Tony Walker CBE.

The Access Card is held by more than 100,000 people in the UK and beyond who register their accessibility requirements.

Using bespoke software, the Access Card system translates its holder’s disability/impairment/access requirements into symbols highlighting the barriers they face.

When booking tickets online, the Nimbus Operating System informs providers quickly and discreetly about the access requirements that individuals need without sharing further information about them with the venue.

This has vastly improved access for disabled people who previously had to provide benefit entitlement letters or invasive amounts of personal information each time they booked tickets for festivals, cinemas, sports matches and more.

The Access Card is now widely recognised at major venues across the UK and beyond including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, The London Eye, Disneyland Paris, The O2 Arena and Alton Towers.

The company created the bespoke Access Card under the leadership of Martin Austin MBE, who has been an amputee since his diagnosis of cancer as a teenager.

He said: “As disabled people ourselves, our mission at Nimbus and with our Access Card scheme is to provide a universal, digitised way of communicating all verified access requirements, from eligibility to companion tickets to the necessity for wheelchair-accessible facilities.

“It was a huge honour to be awarded the Grant of Appointment by the Lord-Lieutenant on behalf of The King and I am proud to accept this award on behalf of our fantastic and dedicated team.

“This is the highest and most prestigious award that can be granted to a business in the UK, and we are very proud to now be displaying The Queen’s Award emblem.

“Since we received notification of the award, we have welcomed a wealth of new corporate clients to the scheme and a marked increase in the number of new Access Card applications.

“With this recognition and the increased profile for the Access Card, our goal is to continue to break down the barriers facing all disabled people not just here in the UK but worldwide.”

Mrs Fothergill said: “Nimbus Disability were one of only 48 companies nationally to be recognised with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation last year and should be congratulated on this prestigious achievement.

“The Access Card is a life-enhancing innovation, and this award recognises it as an outstanding British brand.”