Herts Ability

Herts Ability A charity enabling people to lead an independent life since 1958 Driving Mobility accredited driving assessments for disabled people.

BIG NEWS FROM HARLOW! 🚗 We’re excited to share that Herts Ability’s Harlow Driving Centre has officially moved to a new ...
27/05/2026

BIG NEWS FROM HARLOW! 🚗 We’re excited to share that Herts Ability’s Harlow Driving Centre has officially moved to a new home!

🏢 You can now find us at:

Harlow Enterprise Hub

Edinburgh Way

Harlow

CM20 2NQ

From 3rd June 2026, our weekly driving assessment clinics will continue from our new base, helping people stay independent, mobile, and confident on the road.

👋 Meet our Harlow team:

🚗 Sarah - Driving Assessor

🚗 Ayo - Driving Assessor & Occupational Therapist

Together, they support people of all ages and abilities to drive safely, confidently, and independently.

While we’re delighted to remain in Harlow, our move has come with a challenge. The redevelopment of our previous site means we no longer have access to the off-road driving track that played a vital role in supporting:

• First-time drivers

• Non-licence holders

• People requiring specialist high-tech driving assessments

At the moment, we’re unable to offer off-road assessments, but we’re actively working with Harlow Council and local partners to explore options for regaining access and restoring this important service to the community.

Thank you for your continued support as we settle into our new home. We can’t wait to welcome both familiar and new faces through our doors!

📞 01707 324 581

📧 driving@hertsability.org.uk

🌞 Keeping People Living with Dementia Safe in the Herts Heatwave! 🌞An amber heat alert is in place this afternoon, and h...
26/05/2026

🌞 Keeping People Living with Dementia Safe in the Herts Heatwave! 🌞

An amber heat alert is in place this afternoon, and hot weather can be especially challenging for people living with dementia, increasing the risk of dehydration and heat-related illness.

If you’re supporting someone with dementia, these simple steps can help:

👕 Dress for the weather

Choose light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing made from natural fibres to help keep cool.

🏠 Keep the home cool

Close curtains and blinds during the day, especially in south-facing rooms. In the evening, open windows to let cooler air circulate.

☀️ Avoid the hottest part of the day

Try to stay out of direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm. Seek shade whenever possible and remember to reapply sunscreen regularly.

🧊 Find ways to cool down

A cool bath or shower can help. Keep a damp washcloth and some iced water nearby for extra comfort.

💧 Encourage regular fluids

Leave water within easy reach and offer foods with a high water content, such as melon, ice lollies, jelly, soup, and ice cream.

🤝 Check in on loved ones

If you don’t live nearby, ask friends, family members or neighbours to pop in, share a drink, and make sure everything is okay.

📢 Please share this post to help keep people living with dementia safe, comfortable and well during the hot weather.

Credit: Alzheimer's Society

☀️ Scooter season is HERE! With brighter days ahead, it’s the perfect time to get back outdoors and enjoy your independe...
26/05/2026

☀️ Scooter season is HERE! With brighter days ahead, it’s the perfect time to get back outdoors and enjoy your independence!

At Herts Ability, our FREE, impartial Scooter & Wheelchair Assessments help you move with confidence - safely and independently.

🧑‍🦼 What to expect:

✨ Friendly, expert Occupational Therapists guiding you every step of the way

✨ A relaxed, private assessment (bring a friend or family member!)

✨ Hands-on experience with different scooters & powered wheelchairs

✨ Real-world practice on pavements with full support

👨🏾‍🦼 We’ll help you:

✔️ Understand your mobility needs

✔️ Build confidence using equipment

✔️ Learn safe navigation skills

✔️ Get advice on storage, transport & charging

📄 Plus, you’ll receive a full written report with honest recommendations - no sales pressure, ever.

💚 Because better mobility means greater freedom and peace of mind!

📞 Book your assessment today: 01707 324 581 📧 driving@hertsability.org.uk

About last week... 😍Everyone at Herts Ability is celebrating after Assistant Manager Mark Thackeray received the prestig...
22/05/2026

About last week... 😍

Everyone at Herts Ability is celebrating after Assistant Manager Mark Thackeray received the prestigious Driving Mobility Individual Excellence in Practice Award 2026 🏆

This national recognition celebrates Mark’s dedication, professionalism and the incredible support he gives to clients and colleagues every day.

Sean Lawrence, CEO of Herts Ability, said:

🗣 “Mark’s award is so well deserved. His compassion, expertise and commitment make a genuine difference to the people we support, and we’re incredibly proud to see him recognised on a national level.”

👉 For further information, advice, to make a booking with our award-winning team, or to support our charity through fundraising or donations, please call 01707 324 581 or email driving@hertsability.org.uk 👈

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2026! 🌍At Herts Ability, we’re proud to stand alongside organisations...
21/05/2026

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2026! 🌍

At Herts Ability, we’re proud to stand alongside organisations worldwide championing digital accessibility and inclusion for the 1+ billion people living with disabilities.

Accessibility is more than a feature - it’s a right.

From websites and apps to transport and everyday technology, inclusive design helps everyone stay connected, independent, and empowered.

Here’s how YOU can make a difference:

✔️ Learn about accessible design

✔️ Review your digital content for accessibility

✔️ Include disabled voices in design & feedback

✔️ Support inclusive organisations and services

Herts Ability CEO, Sean Lawrence, says:

🗣 “On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we’re proud to support greater access to transport and driving, helping people who need extra support with driving maintain independence and stay connected to their communities.”

At Herts Ability, we believe accessibility should never be an afterthought - it should be the standard. Together, let’s build a more inclusive world for everyone!

Every 90 seconds, someone in the UK is admitted to hospital with a brain injury. For many survivors, recovery doesn’t en...
19/05/2026

Every 90 seconds, someone in the UK is admitted to hospital with a brain injury.

For many survivors, recovery doesn’t end when they leave the hospital. It can affect confidence, independence, memory, concentration - even everyday tasks like driving.

But with the right support, independence can be rebuilt.

At Herts Ability, we help people safely return to driving after brain injury through specialist assessments, adapted vehicle support, and confidence-building driving lessons tailored to each individual’s journey.

As part of (18–24 May), we’re raising awareness of the hidden and fluctuating challenges many survivors face every day.

💬 Chris shared his experience with us:

“I passed my test at 21 and was involved in a road traffic accident as a pedestrian. I spent six months in hospital and another two and a half years in recovery. It’s a long road - understanding your difficulties and overcoming them. But you can do it, as I have! I absolutely recommend Herts Ability. They’re incredibly accommodating and friendly.”

Chris’s story is a reminder that recovery is possible - and that regaining the freedom to drive can be life-changing!

Whether it’s returning to the road safely or exploring alternative mobility options, we’re here to support every step of the journey.

📞 01707 324 581

📧 driving@hertsability.org.uk

Please share to help raise awareness and support those rebuilding their independence after brain injury! 💙

Headway Hertfordshire, Headway - the brain injury association

This Dementia Action Week, we’re shining a light on why an early dementia diagnosis can change lives! 💙But when dementia...
18/05/2026

This Dementia Action Week, we’re shining a light on why an early dementia diagnosis can change lives! 💙

But when dementia becomes part of someone’s life, conversations about driving can feel incredibly emotional and overwhelming for everyone involved.

At Herts Ability, we support individuals and families through these difficult moments with compassion, dignity, and expert guidance.

One family recently shared their experience after bringing their 87-year-old father for a Fitness to Drive Assessment following his dementia diagnosis:

🗣 “From the moment we arrived, the team showed genuine compassion and professionalism. Despite the challenges of the assessment, my father was treated with dignity and care throughout. Ultimately, the recommendation was for him to stop driving - a difficult but necessary decision. Knowing it was the right step brings us peace of mind.”

Stories like this remind us that dementia affects entire families - not just the person diagnosed.

During Dementia Action Week, we’re also proud to continue raising awareness through the Virtual Dementia Bus! 🚌

This immersive experience helps people understand the sensory confusion and cognitive challenges individuals living with dementia may face every day - building empathy, awareness, and more dementia-friendly communities.

Dementia affects nearly 1 million people in the UK - and every 3 minutes, someone develops the condition.

That’s why conversations, awareness, and early support matter more than ever.

If you’re worried about a loved one’s driving due to dementia or another medical condition, our specialist team is here to help with:

✅ Fitness to Drive Assessments

✅ DVLA guidance

✅ Safe driving advice

✅ Alternative mobility support

✅ Family guidance and reassurance

Together, we can help people living with dementia maintain independence safely while supporting safer roads for everyone!

📞 01707 324 581

📧 driving@hertsability.org.uk

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day is a powerful reminder that while a spinal cord injury can change life in an instant, i...
15/05/2026

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day is a powerful reminder that while a spinal cord injury can change life in an instant, it does not take away the desire for independence, freedom, and control over your future.

At Herts Ability, we see every day how driving can become a vital part of the journey back to independence.

🗣 “What Herts Ability do is extraordinary: They give people their freedom back. Being able to drive again is like being given wings.” ~ Jonathan Goodwin, Patron of Herts Ability

These words reflect what so many of the people we support tell us. Returning to driving is far more than a practical milestone - it is life-changing. It’s about rebuilding confidence, restoring identity, and regaining the freedom to move through the world on your own terms.

For people living with spinal cord injuries, driving is often one of the most powerful steps towards reclaiming independence - and we are proud to help make that possible!

Did you know? 🤔

Across the UK, more than 105,000 people live with spinal cord injuries, with around 4,400 new injuries each year. While life can change in an instant, independence does not have to disappear.

At Herts Ability, we are committed to supporting people with spinal cord injuries to rediscover confidence and freedom through driving.

If you or someone you support is living with a spinal cord injury, specialist advice can help make driving independence a reality.

📞 01707 324 581

✉️ driving@hertsability.org.uk

Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day is about visibility, understanding, and action. With the right support, independence is still within reach.

Jonathan Goodwin, Spinal Injuries Association

🏆 What an incredible night for Team Herts Ability! 🏆We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate our Assistant Manager, Mark ...
13/05/2026

🏆 What an incredible night for Team Herts Ability! 🏆

We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate our Assistant Manager, Mark Thackeray, on winning the Driving Mobility Individual Excellence in Practice Award 2026 at last night’s awards ceremony at Woodland Grange Hotel, Royal Leamington Spa! 👏

This award recognises the outstanding care, professionalism and dedication Mark brings to our clients and colleagues every single day - and we couldn’t be prouder!

Herts Ability CEO Sean Lawrence said:

🗣 “A huge congratulations to Mark Thackeray on winning the Driving Mobility Individual Excellence in Practice Award 2026. Thoroughly deserved and a real reflection of the care, professionalism and support he brings to clients and colleagues every day.”

At Herts Ability, we believe that with the right support, driving isn’t just possible - it’s empowering.

Helping people live independent lives is at the heart of everything we do, and this achievement reflects the passion, expertise and commitment our whole team brings to supporting our clients every day.

Congratulations Mark - a truly deserved recognition and an inspiration to us all!

👉 For further information, advice, to make a booking with our award-winning team, or to support our charity through fundraising or donations, please call 01707 324 581 or email driving@hertsability.org.uk 👈

13/05/2026

🚗 at Herts Ability! 🚗

We’re supercharged with excitement - our fleet has a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), and it’s a total game-changer!

This isn’t just any adapted car - it’s equipped with the Paravan Space Drive system, a next-gen tech that allows brake, accelerator, and steering controls to be managed via microprocessor-based aids… all in nanoseconds!

Other high-spec features include:

✅ Lightened power steering

✅ Push/pull hand controls

✅ Autoadapt wheelchair hoist

✅ Electronically adjustable driver’s seat

🎤 Kevin Hartie came to our driving centre for a hi-tech driving assessment after a life-changing injury, and here’s what he had to say:

“This hi-tech driving assessment was so useful and has given me a clear understanding of what new vehicle adaptations are out there. These have really progressed over the years, so it was definitely worth me going for another driving assessment.”

Want to explore how we can help you or someone you care about get back behind the wheel?

📧 driving@hertsability.org.uk

📞 01707 324 581

Let’s drive forward - together!

12/05/2026

Rapper Professor Green has recently opened up about his school experience and how it was shaped by undiagnosed ADHD and autism - a reflection that resonates with many people who only receive their diagnosis later in life.

Since his recent diagnosis, he’s been reflecting on what might have helped him thrive earlier on. His message is powerful and simple ⤵️

Find environments “where you can express yourself” and “where you can feel and be authentic.”

At Herts Ability, this speaks directly to what we see every day - that when people are supported to understand themselves and are given the right environment, they don’t just cope, they flourish.

Too often, neurodivergent individuals are asked to adapt to systems that weren’t designed with them in mind. But real progress happens when we shift the focus:

✔ Understanding individual strengths

✔ Creating inclusive spaces

✔ Supporting authentic self-expression

Everyone deserves the chance to learn, work, and live in a way that feels right for them! ❤️

Address

Suite 4, Wentworth Lodge, Great North Road
Welwyn Garden City
AL87SR

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441707324581

Website

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