'The Office' actress campaigns for better disability access to Peterborough
Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Stuart Leithes
A campaign has been launched to improve the accessibility of Peterborough city centre for people with disabilities.
The 'Peterborough Unlimited' initiative has the backing of the local paper and disability rights campaigners.
Actress Julie Fernandez will be a familiar face to fans of the hit TV series 'The Office'.
She lives in Peterborough - and with disability consultant Graham Barnes they've backed a campaign to improve access and facilities for disabled people visiting the city centre.
Julie said: "In Peterborough, we have around 50,000 disabled residents and a lot of us will actually travel to somewhere like Spalding or Milton Keynes and other places to do our shopping.
"It's because it's more accessible, easier to park, more toilet facilities, the shop staff have better training on disability."
The 'Peterborough Unlimited' campaign is calling for better routes into and around the city, more disabled toilets and more blue badge parking spaces.
Graham says the best route to and from the city's railway station still involves steeply sloping underpasses which can be challenging for anyone in a wheelchair.
Graham said: "We all like to be able to go into town and shop and if we can't, we have to potentially go elsewhere or we have to get somebody to go and do it for us.
"In this day and age, in 2021, we should be able to go shopping and get home again safely."
The campaign has been led by the local newspaper the Peterborough Telegraph.
Joel Lamy is a reporter with the newspaper: "There's been money for bringing in a cafe culture already and that just means having more obstructions out if you're disabled, which makes it harder to access around.
"So the money is obviously there for some things, why can't it be there for things that will encourage people who find it hard to come in, to do their shopping, to spend the money here rather than elsewhere but also decrease isolation."
Peterborough City Council says it is keen to speak to the campaigners about the issues.
The council leader Wayne Fitzgerald said they are already making changes: "One of the first things I did when I became leader was I introduced a series of champions in the Conservative group, and one of those is a disability champion. We're 100% behind that.
"The second thing is about toilets. I've already asked officers to conduct a review of toilets with a view to putting some new ones in the city center.
"As for blue badge parking, again, if people have suggestions, I think we'll look at those. Where we are today, just near the town hall, I think this whole street, more or less is all disabled Blue badge parking."
Julie Fernandez and Graham Barnes say if access and facilities can be improved Peterborough city centre is a great place to spend time and also spend their money to support local businesses.