A new initiative to highlight extra services or assistance offered by businesses in Port St Mary is being launched.

The services - from places that are happy to fill up your water bottles to businesses with breastfeeding areas - will be shown on badges that can be displayed in the shop or business front window.

Chairman of the village’s business association, Dr Michelle Haywood, said: ’There is an app showing where you can refill your water bottle to reduce plastic and it spiralled from there.

’I thought other services could be advertised.’

Dr Haywood said that she wasn’t aware of any other similar schemes run anywhere else in Britain or further afield. All of these services or assistance are included to make visitors with additional (perhaps hidden) needs feel that they can ask for help if they need it,’ she said.

’For example, a person needing to sit down might not feel they can ask for a chair.

’People with limited mobility often need just to rest for a few minutes before they carry on.

’The idea is that they might not be a customer, but could just be walking past and feeling that they need to rest a little. We hope that this sort of scheme will show Port St Mary in a positive light.

’No other village or town has anything similar on this scale.’

The scheme is ’to make businesses more open and welcoming,’ she added.

Badges include: Dogs welcome, toilet available, chair to rest available and emergency phone available.