Work has begun on construction of accessible boat moorings on the River Thames at Wallingford Riverside.

A new slipway and jetty will be built to allow people with disabilities greater access to the riverways.

A related project will put in an accessible club cabin, with access to water and electricity for use by Wallingford Accessible Boat Club (WABC), and a third project, nearing completion, will install a Changing Places accessible bathroom at the site.

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Cllr Sam James-Lawrle, South Oxfordshire District Council’s cabinet member for environment, said: “This project has been a long time in the making.

“We’re committed to continue investing in community infrastructure and ensure that residents have access to facilities that improve overall wellbeing and quality of life.”

South Oxfordshire District Council has invested over £209,000 to improve accessibility at Wallingford riverside.

The moorings will meet the specific requirements of WABC’s wheelyboat, called WOW-one, which was launched in 2014.

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John Jenkins MBE, chairman and founder of the WABC, said: “We have been working with the district council for the past four years, facing and overcoming numerous delays and hurdles along the way but, at last, the end is in sight and we will have a wheelyboat operating base in central Wallingford opening up new opportunities for our passengers and our club.”

Civil engineering firm Greenford Ltd, based in Wheatley, will complete the work, expecting it to finish in 2025.

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