Visit Jersey and Connecting Communities Light Up Landmarks for Purple Tuesday, Championing Accessibility and Inclusion

Visit Jersey has partnered with Connecting Communities, a local disability and community health and wellbeing consultancy, to host the island’s first major Purple Tuesday celebration on Tuesday 12 November 2024.

Landmarks and hospitality businesses around the island, including Fort Regent, Pomme d’Or Hotel, and Jersey Museum, will be illuminated purple on the evening of 12 November to celebrate Purple Tuesday, a global initiative aimed at improving the customer experience for disabled people and their families. The illuminated buildings in Jersey will be part of a larger international movement that commences in London, where the famous Piccadilly lights will turn purple to mark the occasion.

Visit Jersey and Connecting Communities will also host a breakfast workshop for stakeholders from the island’s visitor economy to explore ways the industry can work collaboratively to improve accessibility for all. The event, taking place at the Pomme d’Or Hotel, will be designed to share insights and discuss practical steps that can be taken to benefit both residents and visitors, while unlocking the potential of the Purple Pound—the significant spending power of disabled people and their families.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a panel of local businesses about their journey to becoming more accessible and inclusive, including representatives from Beresford Street Kitchen, Jersey Community Foundation, Jersey Heritage, Ports of Jersey, and Seymour Hotels of Jersey.

From improving physical access to enhancing services and training for staff, the workshop will explore a range of simple yet impactful actions that can make a tangible difference.

Tricia Warwick, CEO of Visit Jersey, said: “Purple Tuesday is a wonderful opportunity for Jersey to align itself with an international initiative that supports the inclusion of everyone in the visitor experience. This is our first year participating, and we are excited to join a growing global movement. By lighting local landmarks purple and hosting this industry workshop, we hope to inspire islanders and local businesses to think more deeply about accessibility – not just as an obligation, but as a valuable asset for our community and a business opportunity. We are grateful to Mike Adams and Cirsty de Gruchy Moseley for collaborating with us on Jersey’s Purple Tuesday celebrations, and we look forward to growing this event in the future.”

Mike Adams OBE, Executive Chair of Purple Group and Founder of Purple Tuesday, said: “As we celebrate the seventh year of Purple Tuesday, it’s fantastic to see the continued commitment shown by our participants, including Visit Jersey, to keep working towards a world where accessibility is everywhere, for everyone. So often the focus of accessibility campaigning is to highlight the places that are getting it wrong. I believe we should also celebrate the good – those businesses that are making a positive difference to the lives of disabled people every day. I hope that by showcasing good practice, we will inspire others who may be falling short, to begin their own accessibility journey this year.”

Cirsty de Gruchy Moseley, founder of Connecting Communities, commented: “One in five people are disabled and 80% have a disabled friend or relative, so accessibility should matter to everyone. Disability does not mean inability, it is an opportunity to see the world differently and innovate. Working with Visit Jersey and Purple Tuesday, I hope we can ‘join the dots’ with business and organisations around the island who are already taking steps to become more accessible, and inspire others to join us on this journey.”

Purple Tuesday is an annual international event celebrated each November and aimed at improving the customer experience for disabled people. A record 7,000 organisations across 13 countries are taking part in this year’s Purple Tuesday celebrations, with national events taking place in the UK, Germany, the UAE, Oman, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the USA.

Tourism and hospitality businesses interested in attending the Visit Jersey Purple Tuesday Breakfast Event are encouraged to register via the following link, and are invited to inform Visit Jersey of any accessibility requirements to ensure a fully inclusive event: https://business.jersey.com/events/events-jersey/purple-tuesday/