Benches for All: Improving Trail Accessibility through Age-Friendly Benching
As many towns in the North Quabbin region grow older, our land stewardship practices must evolve to reflect and support the communities we serve. Improving trail accessibility is a critical part of that work.
With that in mind, there was no better place to start than at our accessible trail at Alderbrook Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary – one of our most visited conservation areas.
On a snowy, blustery Saturday morning last month, members of the Mount Grace community met at the facilities of LaunchSpace, Inc. (LSI) to assemble new, age-friendly benches as part of an Age and Dementia Friendly Community Grant award from LifePath.
What is an Age-Friendly Bench?
With age-friendly benches, it’s the little things that can make a big difference. They typically sit higher off the ground and include features like armrests and taller back. e goal is simple: to make it easier and safer for older adults to sit down and stand up – so they can rest, enjoy the view, and stay active on the trail.
Partnering with LaunchSpace
It takes more than good intentions to “just build three benches” (mortise and tenon joints, anyone?!). After finding a design we loved, we partnered with a new community collaborator to bring it to life.
Laura Pepper, a local woodworker and professional furniture maker, is also the lead instructor for the woodworking shop at LaunchSpace, Inc. LSI is a nonprofit makerspace in Orange that supports economic development in the North Quabbin region by helping people connect their creative energy with education, training, and the tools to launch new ventures.
Their facilities include a woodshop, ceramics studio, robotics and 3D printing lab, and art studio—and best of all, the space and classes are open to anyone through a membership, regardless of skill level. They also offer classes and mentors to help people build confidence and proficiency.
Laura and LaunchSpace made what felt like a daunting task seem effortless.
Before our Mount Grace volunteers even arrived, Laura had already cut and shaped the beautiful cedar boards into legs, rails, arms, and slats. Together, we spent a fun morning assembling the benches – and they turned out beautifully.
Thank You
We’d like to extend a big thank you to the volunteers that showed to help us finish this project and to LaunchSpace for hosting us. We also greatly appreciate the financial support from LifePath. Once winter is behind us, we will bring these benches out to Alderbrook – and we have some exciting trail regrading and resurfacing work planned for the trail later in the year. All told, we are making great strides in making our spaces more accessible to all.