An engineering guiding light
Warwickshire County Council’s engineers have won acclaim for going above and beyond the call of duty in making sure local streets are safer for the visually impaired.
And the work of Surveyor Martin Baxter has won particular praise from Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and he’s been presented with an Opening Doors Award for his work in `opening doors to guide dog owners and partially-sighted people’.
Martin has worked closely over the last six years with partially-sighted campaigner Ian Foulds in addressing issues in and around the Leamington area.
But as a result of these works countywide policies have been changed, such as licensing regulations for scaffolding erections, including the use of hi-visibility padding on certain temporary structures.
Mr Foulds said: “The award goes to the engineering department at Warwickshire County Council in recognition of their continued efforts to make the built environment accessible and safe for blind people and visually impaired people.
“It was presented to Martin Baxter, who is the surveyor for central Leamington and who has always responded promptly to a whole range of problems which have arisen.
“He and the department richly deserve the award for all their efforts.”
Martin Baxter said: “I’m delighted with the award, it’s always special as an officer when someone says thank you. It does take time and trouble to say thank you, and it’s a real boost to morale.”