A Porthmadog woman is championing a campaign to improve accessibility for disabled people at venues across Wales.

Kamar El-Hozeil, 23, an Access Ambassador for social enterprise PIWS (Welsh for purple), is road testing venues to ensure they meet the needs of disabled people.

Kamar has scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and epilepsy.

In one seizure a couple of years ago she fell unconscious and stopped breathing for more than a minute. She was revived thanks to the expertise of a hospital medical team.

“Technically you could say I died but the incredible doctors and nurses managed to bring me back to the world,” she said.

Kamar is delighted to be an Access Ambassador.

As part of the scheme, people aged 16-24 are paid to review venues across Wales, providing feedback on their experiences so venues can understand the challenges of families – including those with hidden disabilities – and make reasonable adjustments to become more inclusive.

Kamar’s first job was to spend four days at Haven’s Hafan y Môr near Pwllheli, to assess how good it is in terms of accessibility.

One of her recommendations to the park is to give advance warning about the use of flashing lights or strobes which are difficult for people with epilepsy.

She said: “I had a great time, to be honest. I was able to assess the functionality of all the park’s existing facilities for disabled users, to praise what was good and point out areas which could be better.

“Overall, the park came out well in my view. I had one of the best holidays ever. I definitely hope to go back.”

PIWS was established by events and marketing expert Davina Carey-Evans, a mum of three who spent years seeking suitable leisure attractions to visit with her son, Benjamin, now 30, who has severe autism.

Davina, from Criccieth, is passionate about lobbying companies nationwide to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities including autism, learning difficulties, sensory impairments, mobility challenges, and brain illnesses.

She said: “We set up PIWS as a parent-led community interest company, not for profit, and it’s funded by the National Lottery’s Community Lottery Fund.

“We started by organising safe space events for families of children with autism. Over time our efforts have expanded to address a wider range of disabilities, and we’ve forged partnerships with the tourism and hospitality sectors to make environments more inclusive.”

Davina added: “Kamar is an ideal choice to be one of our Access Ambassadors. Through her own life experiences, she fully recognises issues the disabled community faces when visiting new destinations or striving to join in activities with able-bodied friends and colleagues.

“Kamar’s experience is of several different types of health issue so she knows that to be fully inclusive companies have to think more broadly than token gestures such as installing adapted toilets or ramps. It’s about recognition, acceptability, enabling schemes and proper training to raise staff awareness of hidden disabilities.”

Hafan y Mor Head of Experience Mark Williams welcomed Kamar’s report.