The Gros Pierre Orchard in Compton just got a little bit more accessible to people with reduced mobility. In a move to expand what they can offer to a more diverse clientele, the orchard operators unveiled a new wagon on Monday that is equipped to bring as many as five wheelchairs at a time out among the apple trees. “Here at the Gros Pierre we are often visited by older people with reduced mobility and people in wheelchairs,” said Mélanie Éliane Marcoux, who co-owns the orchard with Gaétan Gilbert. “There are grandparents who have been coming here with their families for many years who, as they age, have stopped going down into the orchard.” Feeling like something needed to be done to try to bring these visitors back among the trees, the orchard owners applied for a grant given through Kéroul, the organization mandated by the provincial ministry of tourism to support universal access in tourist establishments. See full story in the Tuesday, Aug. 27 edition of The Record.
