Leeds' Santander Work Café among first in the UK to receive top accessibility score
The Santander Work Café in Leeds has become one of the first in the UK to introduce an official accessibility score, thanks to a new partnership between Santander and the award-winning disability app Snowball, often described as “TripAdvisor for the disabled community.”
The scheme aims to promote transparency and improve access for people with visible and hidden disabilities across the UK. Similar to a food hygiene rating, the new accessibility scores provide an easy-to-understand benchmark for inclusive design and support.
The Leeds Work Café, alongside locations in Milton Keynes and London’s Triton Square, Cheapside, and Kensington High Street, was individually assessed by Snowball’s accessibility experts.
Each venue was evaluated for key accessibility features, including wheelchair access, neurodivergent-friendly design, and support for people with dyslexia and dementia.
All five cafés received the top rating of five out of five, a score recognised by the disabled community and now displayed prominently within each location.
Created by disabled activist and wheelchair user Simon Sansome, the Snowball app allows users to review and rate businesses for accessibility, with over 100,000 user reviews already logged nationwide. The app includes built-in satnav features and a national disability rating system now adopted by Santander’s Work Cafés.
Simon Sansome said: “It’s fantastic to see Leeds leading the way in accessibility. Santander’s Work Cafés are well-known for their welcoming spaces and brilliant coffee, and this partnership ensures they’re equally welcoming to the disabled community. It’s a proud moment to see our Snowball ratings displayed in such a landmark location.”
Following the successful rollout, Santander plans to extend the initiative to additional Work Cafés and contact centres across the UK.
The Snowball app is free to download on Apple and Android devices.