Whitley Bay

**loan service temporarily suspended at Whitley Bay, please accept our apologies, all other sites operating as usual**

"The magical day we had was priceless and all thanks to the fantastic charity, volunteers & work you all do. All our love and heartfelt thanks." - Denise, Whitley Bay

Location

Situated on the promenade you will find us right beside the Rendezvous and Links Café Opens in a new window, our logo can be seen above our door.

During high season our volunteers often open up to allow for ad hoc visits, show people our equipment or just to have a chat!

If you know you will want to borrow a chair then it is always best to book in advance or ring on the day to check our opening hours as this will vary based on volunteer availability.

Nearest town

Whitley Bay

Post code

NE26 1TP

Parking

A small car park is available directly behind us. This is pay parking but free to blue badge holders. There are two designated disabled parking spaces. The RingGo location code for the car park is 5857.

There is additional parking near the Whitley Bay Playhouse and Spanish City, both around half a mile from our base.

Access to the beach

There is ramp access to the beach directly opposite our HQ. The ramp is quite steep and therefore it is essential that someone is holding onto the chair on the ramp to avoid risk of tipping. The soft sand at the bottom of the ramp is the most difficult to cross, once past this point the sand becomes much easier to wheel on.

Equipment

At Whitley Bay, we usually have

We also have a standard wheelchair available which is not suitable for the beach but can be used for a stroll along the prom.

Please be aware the equipment available may change as we sometimes move equipment between sites.

Facilities

There are two cafes next door to us. Both Rendezvous Café and Links Café Opens in a new window have flat/ramp access. They both serve hot and cold food and drinks as well as ice cream and cake!

Toilet facilities are available, with a disabled toilet accessed by a radar key. We hold a key if needed. The nearest Changing Place can be found at Waves Leisure Centre Opens in a new window.

Dogs

During mid & high season dogs are only allowed on a small stretch of the north end of the beach. For detailed information you can check North Tyneside Council Website Opens in a new window.

About the area

The beautiful beach at Whitley Bay is two miles long. To the North it leads to St Mary’s Lighthouse and the South towards Brown’s Bay and Cullercoats.

The area to the North end is more rocky and may not be suitable for some equipment.

When the tide is high there can be very little sand to make use of, so it’s always advisable to check the tides before you come. You can do this on The Beach Guide website Opens in a new window.

Upcoming events

Wheelchair line up 2022

After the success of our first event in 2019, we are thrilled to say we will be holding our second North East Wheelchair Line up…

Wheelchair line up 2022

Coming soon on August 29th (Bank Holiday Monday). Further details coming soon!

Latest news

Beach wheelchairs arrive at Spittal

We are thrilled to confirm that we are now ‘live’ at Spittal. This sees us move to our furthest point north and will definitely be…

Finalists!!

We are absolutely honoured to be selected as a finalist in the ‘Uniquely North East’ category of the North East Charity Awards. This category recognises…

Temporary closure at Whitley Bay

We are very sorry to say we have had to temporarily suspend our loan service at Whitley Bay. Unfortunately there are number of issues, but…

News from Newton!

Have you been to Newton by the Sea recently? If you have you may have noticed some accessibility improvements! While we want everyone to enjoy…

Annual General Meeting

Our annual general meeting is taking place on Tuesday 25th April at 7.30pm and will be held in the Sandpiper pub, Farringdon Road, North Shields.…

Cresswell to welcome a hippocampe

Cresswell will become the latest beach in Northumberland to have a beach wheelchair! This beautiful hippocampe was put together yesterday and will be delivered to…

Could you be a volunteer?

Everything that happens here at BANE happens because of a volunteer. We are currently looking for additional volunteers for Whitley Bay and a pool of…

Wheelchair line up 2022

After the success of our first event in 2019, we are thrilled to say we will be holding our second North East Wheelchair Line up…

Newton by the Sea…coming 17th July!

Finally we are thrilled to announce that loan of equipment at Newton-by-the-Sea will be live on 17th July! We will have a beach walker and…

First hippocampe available in Beadnell

We are excited to announce that the first chair to be based at Beadnell beach will be available to use from Good Friday. Massive thanks…

FAQs

When can I use the chair?

The scheme operates all the year round in all locations. Please book in advance by phoning 0300 999 4444 or use the contact us link.…

Will help be available?

Our volunteers are not able to assist in transfers or taking you on to the beach. The user must have an adult helper to assist…

What if the weather turns bad?

We would like to say it is always sunny on the North East Coast but sadly this is not the case and the weather can…