Luton Point takes part in Purple Tuesday annually to show full support for the national awareness day, which aims to promote inclusivity and accessibility for customers with physical or hidden disabilities with a Purple Takeover. Centre music is turned off for the day to help create a calming shopping experience for people who have sensory difficulties, and the theme is reinforced with purple decorations. We also encourage our stores to participate by turning off their music.
But Purple Tuesday isn’t just one day of the year – we strive to improve the disabled customer experience 365 days a year. We have invested in the Purple 365 programme to ensure our teams have access to knowledge, understanding and practical approaches to make a better disabled customer experience 365 days a year a reality.
We understand busy crowds and loud noises can be overwhelming and daunting for some guests. Every Tuesday we hold a quiet hour in the centre where we turn off music and radio systems, limit tannoy messages to emergencies only and turn off our digital screens. We actively encourage all stores to support this each week by turning off their music.
As an ‘accessible to all’ centre, Luton Point has adopted new signage on its facilities to help to reduce the stigma around invisible disabilities.
We are proud to sponsor BSL interpreters for the stages at the annual Pride in Luton festival, having been a sponsor since the inaugural event in 2022. One of our podcast episodes also highlights the team behind Pride in Luton.
Every year we recognise and celebrate the occasions that are important to our community. In 2023 this included Big Iftar, EID, Diwali, East Fest, St Patrick’s Day, Afrofest, the Luton Carnival, Easter, Christmas and Black History Month, amongst others.
