DISABLED people in Tavistock are still faced with enormous difficulties getting out and about in the town, despite considerable improvements made in recent years.
At a meeting of the Tavistock and District Access Group last week, a number of the issues were discussed.
One of the biggest problems in the town itself remained access to Boots, the chemist in Duke Street, said spokesperson Mark Ralph, himself disabled following a motorcycle accident in 1999.
'We've always had a problem at Boots. It's quite impossible for wheelchair users and very difficult for anybody using crutches.
'They do have a temporary ramp which they bring out, but it's difficult and quite degrading to have to tap on the window to attract the attention of staff,' he said.
W H Smith, next door, lowered its floor during building work, which has made access to its goods and services easy for disabled people.
The Access Group has raised the matter with the company again, now it has a new manager.
Boots' manager Derek Evans said he had been unaware of the problem until a recent letter from the group, but he said he welcomed comment and felt the best way forward was for him and the group to meet.
'I'm willing to listen and see if we can come to some agreement within the limitations of the building,' he said. 'We take this quite seriously and want to do something about it.'
Telephone boxes remain a concern, though Mr Ralph accepted they were now easier to access in Duke Street than they were in the Post Office, but the heavy doors and the height of the instruments still made them very difficult for people in wheelchairs.
He said British Telecom did have accessible phone boxes, but they were still not entirely suitable.
An additional problem for disabled people in West Devon has been the loss of Access Grants. These have provided money in the past to help make existing buildings more disability-friendly.
Roger Collins, head of building services at West Devon, said over the past ten years the council had provided in excess of £70,000 to help fund facilities for disabled people at local, non-profit-making organisations, but the council now felt the demand for the grants had largely gone and there were other, greater, sources of money, such as the lottery.
Mr Ralph agreed a lot had been done, but said it was always useful to have the money available for when problems did arise.
Transport is the other major issue for disabled people, especially in a rural area like this.
The introduction recently of a second 'ring and ride' bus has helped mitigate the recent loss of Tavistock's only disability taxi — also appreciated by people with children in pushchairs — though before too long all taxis will be obliged to be accessible under the Disability Discrimination Act.