UKHospitality leader Kate Nicholls named disability ambassador for hospitality

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor

CEO of UKHospitality Kate Nicholls will be the disability ambassador for the hospitality sector as the government sets out its £1.6bn national strategy to improve the day-to-day lives an opportunities afforded to disabled individuals across the UK.

The National Disability Strategy, described by the Prime Minister as the "most ambitious and transformative disability plan in a generation," has three main areas of focus on education, employment and housing.

Kate Nicholls, who has been lauded for her tireless work to represent and support the industry throughout the pandemic and last year won the AA's inaugural outstanding contribution to the industry award, said she was "honoured to have been appointed as the hospitality sector’s first Disability Ambassador, a role that I shall use to ensure that our sector becomes even better at accommodating customers with disabilities, as well as providing employment – there is huge potential for great jobs and careers for those with disabilities.

She added: “This will boost the difference that we can make to deliver on our previous commitment in the Tourism Sector Deal, to make our sector more accessible and to work to broaden public understanding of disability and accessibility, beyond simply visible disabilities.

“Our sector has always striven to welcome team members and customers from all backgrounds and levels of physical or mental ability but today’s announcement will hopefully provide the basis to improve yet further our ability to do so. The ongoing reopening of venues has underlined the prime objective of hospitality - to make people feel safe, welcome and comfortable, in order to enjoy good company and great food and drink.

“There ought to be no impediments to the nation’s 14 million people living with disability to miss out on the same pleasures that hospitality brings to the rest of the nation, either as a customer or as a valued member of staff, and so we welcome today’s strategy to that end.”

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