Access Champion

Vincent van Gogh Experience comes alive I've always been drawn to the fantastic artwork of Vincent Van Gogh. I love the way he pioneered his own style. I admire his brave honesty about his mental illness. So of course, as soon as I heard about the Van Gogh alive exhibition, I had to go! A construction has been set up in the piazza, a square in media city. Its near to the Lowry Theatre, a little shopping outlet and various cafes, such as, pret a manger. We stopped off first to meet up with my cousin who, due to the pandemic, I'd not seen for over 2 years, so it was great to see her. Pret a Manger was brightly lit and is all on one level so is good for wheel chair users. We were at the window seat table. It did have a pole on the underside, in the middle of the table, which wasn't great. The height was good. The cafe was busy and noisy with coffee machines whirring, microwaves pinging, Christmas music playing on the radio and people talking. I was a bit concer

Holiday inn express, Salford Quays. Manchester From the tram to the hotel entrance, there are no dropped kerbs, meaning the only way to get in if you use a mobility aid, like a wheelchair or scooter, is via the road. Thankfully, the entrance is totally flat. It opens up into a brightly lit, warm reception. There was no lowered help desk. The staff were helpful as they provided directions of where the Vincent van Gogh experience was. We arrived 3 hrs before check in, hungry and cold, so were invited to get a cuppa and meal as we didn't feel safe enough to eat on the train, as this would mean removing our mask. However, when we went to order, we were told we couldn't order a meal due to the member of staff manning the desk alone, but they offered us complimentary hot drinks. After our drinks we went for a walk to find the Van Gogh experience. A goose attacked our bags! When we returned, hungry and cold with numb toes, my mum and I were just looking forward to a welc

A few days after storm Arwen battered the UK, my mum and I had pre- booked a night in Manchester. I'll assess the access of traveling to and around Manchester, plus activities we did, in stages. The train... As with any access requirement, it needs advance booking, which can take the spontaneity out of travelling. I don't mind this as advance train ticket booking means cheaper rail fare, especially with a railcard. I hadn't used the passenger assistance app before, so tried it for the first times when going to Manchester and was surprised how easy it was. All you have to do is set up a free account, you can either buy your train tickets through them or just book your assistance, by finding the details of your journey. Passenger assistance then emails you a confirmation of the request, one to say they are trying to sort it and a final confirmation. Having heard mixed reviews of the app I was a bit apprehensive about if it would work and if the ramp would be th

Situated next to Europa swimming pools, and near Conway Park train station, the Birkenhead Vue cinema is in a good location, being only a short walk to the town centre and the bus station. Depending on what entrance you come in from, blind/Visually impaired may find it tricky, as: Coming from the town centre, on the pavement outside, there are a few stone benches to negotiate. Blind/visually impaired film fans need to be careful here as they are the same/similar colour to the paving tiles, as well as being quite bulky. If you park in the car park, the disabled bays are opposite the door. As it has no distinguishing features, the entrance is hard to find, and from the outside, the cinema actually appears closed. There's a large square shaped silver button left of the disabled entrance door, so it opens automatically. Inside either side of it, there are 2 handrails to guide you along to the next press button door. The cinema foyer is a wide, circular, low lit space. Pre-cov

Arrowe Park NHS University Teaching Hospital. This is the main hospital on the Wirral. There's both a free car park and a chargeable one. There's also bus links available. I'll try and describe getting into the hospital: there is no tactile paving to highlight to blind/visually impaired people attending with families/friends/carers by car. From the car park there are grey bollards, sticking up from the pavement in the centre of the crossing at each side. I don't see the point of these as they pose a trip hazard. These pointless obstructions held no reason, artistic or otherwise and are a wheelchair crash risk. As you cross the zebra crossing you are faced with large grey boulders which can cause a problem if using a wheelchair or a blind cane. The path to the doors is dark grey, like a road, twisty and narrow. It's do-able, but could do with widening to allow more than one wheel chair. There is also a camber to the pavement. The entrance isn't go

Most people aren't born disabled 15 % are born disabled, and 85% become disabled, whether through unforeseen circumstances, ill health or something else. Accepting your future may be changed forever, can be hard. My condition is progressive. I've lost balance, mobility and eyesight. As my muscles and my body weakens, I have to handle the pain and the fear myself. No one can do it for me. I've been told that 'there's nothing they can do' on numerous occasions. Each time, I've sunk into a deep pit of depression. Thankfully, my mum has always helped me claw out of it. People assume that those who are chronically ill or disabled just get on with it, that we're always as happy as we portray, that we don't grieve and miss the life we once dreamt of. Here's a secret - we, well, I (as I can only speak for myself), its true to an extent; we do just get on with it. I have been bullied for not being as fast as others and having A perceived lower in

The Deep submariner, Hull. To finish off our trip to Hull we dived in to the Deep. the only submariner in The UK. The car park had blue badge parking, although the spaces weren't that big, but for blue badge holders, it was free. Inside, there's a specific desk for disabled customers. You then go into a lift into the aquarium. The first few exhibits are stationary and appeared broken at the time of our trip. These were push button interactive learning experiences. It could've done with a voice over as it was mainly visual. Visually impaired people would need a sighted guide to escort them through the dark area into the brighter part. From here, it was amazing. I can't remember the exact layout, so shall pick out the most memorable. A clear, large, open tank that you almost feel like your in it! One seahorse seems to love the attention and was swimming up the glass. This curved into a ramp and into the next section that had rectangular windows offering a peek a

Sails Cafe Skidby Set in beautiful, quiet scenery of the East Yorkshire countryside, Skidby Mill is a historical 18th century flour mill that I had many school trips to as a child. There's a Stoney, gravelled path that leads to the Mill and converted barn cafes. In the courtyard, there are a small number of tables. My chair fitted in ok. There's seating both indoors and outdoors, so when it rained, we took our food and drink inside. To get inside with there was a ramp as well as steps. Inside, it was noisy with coffee machines brewing and people chatting. I had to ask my friend to sit nearer as I couldn't hear her. The food was delicious and all homemade. Friendly staff to who double checked the order and they accommodated my friends dietary requirements and helped us swap tables I have to say, I was impressed with the toilet. Despite it being clean, we did an anti bac wipe down to the handrails and taps. It had contrasting black handle bars, which was good, as bein