It will soon be even easier for deaf and disabled people to visit the National Maritime Museum, after a scheme dedicated to improving accessibility received a huge cash injection.

Disability charity Living Options Devon carried out a range of consultation activities last year, and found there were many issues around accessibility across several heritage sites.

Now, the Heritage Ability scheme will be working with five sites across Cornwall, including the National Maritime Museum, to fix these issues.

The improvements have been made possible thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, as they have donated £527,000 to the scheme.

Living Options, which has worked for 25 years to empower people with disabilities, has teamed up with 18 heritage sites across the South West.

Other sites in Cornwall include Geevor Tin Mine, National Trust Godolphin, National Trust Tin Coast and Wheal Martyn Museum.

Led by a team of disabled and deaf volunteers and advisors, the project includes improving access for people with physical disabilities, establishing British sign language as part of each sites’ interpretation and making adaptations to improve experiences for those with autism.

By developing tailored ways of working for each site, and providing training for heritage site staff, the project aims to make long-term changes to the accessibility of heritage in the South West.

Diana Crump, CEO at Living Options, said: “We would like to thank members of the public whose support for the Heritage Lottery Fund has made it possible for us to bring this project to life.

"Here at Living Options Devon, we believe that disabled people and those from the deaf community should have the same life chances as everyone else, this includes being able to access beauty spots and enjoy the scenery, learn about their local wildlife and the history of old and interesting buildings through accessible information.

"We can’t wait to work with our amazing partner sites to help disabled people enjoy and marvel at their beauty and history.”