From specific campaigns on accessible stadia and accessible transport to a broader commitment to the principle of accessibility, Chris feels passionately that access for all must be the “golden thread” that runs through everything.
Chris has always appreciated the value of celebrating diversity and promoting inclusive practices and in 2015 was appointed as Diversity Adviser to the Civil Service. He is also board member responsible for diversity and inclusion at Channel 4.
Chris has become a leading figure in the anti-shared space movement. Shared space is a design approach that seeks to create a “a sense of place” by removing safe areas for pedestrians and cyclists. Often crossings and pavements are removed so that all road users “share” the space. Blind and visually impaired people are particularly effected and Chris has commissioned research on the problem and spoken out about why it is so unsafe.
Chris’s personal and professional life is inextricably linked to sport, he is involved in campaigns to improve participation in sports, was part of the Channel 4 broadcast team for 2016 Paralympics in Rio and is being consulted by Tokyo Olympic organisers.
Social Mobility – Unpaid Internships
Chris was a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility and has introduced a Private Members Bill calling for unpaid internships to be banned. The law, if enacted, would limit unpaid internships to just four weeks. Chris has described the practice as a “divisive and anti-competitive product of the past” and calls on his colleagues in Parliament to support the Bill.