Derby-based Nimbus Disability has moved to new offices in Sir Frank Whittle Road, opposite Derbyshire County Cricket Ground, to pave the way for future expansion.
The social enterprise, which is run by disabled people for disabled people, is now based in Grade A 4,077 sq ft offices on the ground floor at Pentagon House which, over the years, has been home to some of the city’s largest Blue Chip companies.
The fully-accessible offices are home to Nimbus Disability’s 28 staff who administer the award-winning Access Card which is held by more than 350,000 disabled people and is recognised by more than 1,600 venues and events across the world who offer accessible tickets.
Many of the venues and events are seasonal such as Alton Towers and Glastonbury Festival and employee numbers are set to increase in the coming weeks to cope with the annual increase of new and renewal applications for the Access Card.
The Access Card is the first accessible ticketing scheme of its type in the world – offering a universal and consistent way of disabled people evidencing and communicating their needs to providers quickly and discreetly.
Powered by ‘NOS’, Nimbus Disability’s bespoke software, the system translates its holder’s disability/impairment/access requirements into symbols and when booking online, informs providers quickly and discreetly about the access requirements that individuals need.
It is already widely recognised at major venues including West End theatres, The London Eye and the O2 Arena to venues in the USA, Europe and New Zealand.
Martin Austin MBE, who set up Nimbus Disability eight years ago, explained: “We have outgrown our previous offices in Pride Park and needed somewhere with the space and accessible facilities that our growing team needs.
“We have particularly seen increased numbers of Access Card applications since we were recognised with The Queen’s Award for Innovation two years ago and our members now make at least 2.5 million visits a year using this invaluable service.
“Our innovative Access Card scheme is improving the lives of thousands of disabled people across the UK and across the globe – opening up the opportunity for them to visit and engage with events and destinations and enabling them to play a more participative role in society.
“These high quality offices will therefore pave the way for future growth as we onboard even more venue and event partners and the benefits of the Access Card are further recognised by disabled people both in the UK and abroad.”
As a social enterprise, Nimbus Disability was established to donate most of their profits for a social or environmental purpose.
At the official opening of the new offices, Mr Austin announced that £340,000 had been donated back to its sister charity Disability Direct in 2022/23 which provides information and advice service for disabled people, older people and carers and is the East Midlands’ largest user-led charity.
Disability Direct CEO Dr. Amo Raju OBE DL congratulated the Nimbus Disability team on their success so far.
He said: “We are incredibly proud of the growth and direction of travel which Nimbus is experiencing.
“Whilst we naturally welcome the yearly donation for our vital projects for disabled people in the community, we are equally thrilled it’s meeting a genuine need nationally too. We’re looking forward to see Nimbus thrive and reach even greater heights.”
