Rod McFarlane Award – 2015
The Rod MacFarlane Award is named after Rod MacFarlane who died in 1994 and was a campaigner for disabled people through his work as a regional councillor, chairman of Forfar and District Access for Disabled Trust and the first chairman of Angus Access Panel.
Each year the Award is presented to buildings or facilities in Angus which demonstrate the best examples of positive efforts being made to encourage the inclusion of disabled people. There were four premises nominated for the award.
After inspecting all four the panel agreed that the 2015 award be presented to Rebecca Cottage East Row Carnoustie. The property is owned and administered by the Spina Bifida Association and recent improvements have been made by Brunton Design Studio. The presentation was made at the Cottage by Depute Provost of Angus Alex King on Thursday 25th November. The improvements consisted of the installation of a stair lift, to enable access to the upper floor. The accessibility of the bathroom and toilet improved by a hoist from the ground floor bedroom with the further advantage of being able to lower and raise the disabled person safely into and out of the bath. A new entrance door and ramp to the Cottage with a new covered and secure entrance porch.
Rebecca Cottage is an excellent example of how design and equipment can be combined to fully facilitate a building for the use of a family with a disabled person to use for holiday accommodation.
