London Show and Meet and Greet

[firehazard]

4- No wheelchair access. No wheelchair toilets.

Typical. I am well used to that sort of nonsense.
The feckin place needs to sort its act out.

Lugging an exceptionally heavy suitcase from Stratford to Nottingham by rail on Sunday, I got some inkling just how impossible some situations must still be for you...

Cheers, Mr C. Most people who haven't experienced the access problem for themselves, or for someone else, have very little idea of the issues. The situation is, in general, improving, but there are still a lot of situations where a great deal more improvement is needed. Yes, trains are a real problem, and no matter how much planning you do in advance you can never be entirely sure that it will all work out. I gave up on the tubes years ago. So getting places by public transport is a big problem. You can sort of understand the problems with some of these things. But when it comes to pubs, shops, venues etc. that haven't sorted out their access, often for no good reason, then I tend to lose patience and get increasingly militant. Awkward crip.

[Plastic Paddy]

.................you don't need 5 pages to arrange a meet.........

2 so far Walshy.

[dawson]

4- No wheelchair access. No wheelchair toilets.

Typical. I am well used to that sort of nonsense.
The feckin place needs to sort its act out.

Lugging an exceptionally heavy suitcase from Stratford to Nottingham by rail on Sunday, I got some inkling just how impossible some situations must still be for you. The journey requires a major change in Birmingham - no real problem if you are unencumbered but a nightmare otherwise. The obligatory trek from Birmingham Moor Street to Birmingham New Street is almost all uphill. Then when you finally lug yourself and baggage onto the correct platform in New Street (thanks to their complicated elevator system) you almost invariably get a "platform alteration" message, which requires you, your 40K of luggage, three stoical young mothers with baby carriages and one gent in a wheelchair, to take yet another crowded elevator to the correct platform. And THEN you have to figure out how to get onto the train.

I miss understood that as £40,000 worth of luggage!!! i was about to ask what you had in there.

[Beisty]

Lugging an exceptionally heavy suitcase from Stratford to Nottingham by rail

I thought all you millionaire rock stars paid people to do that sort of thing for you! And travelling by rail........... was it a private carriage or did the Roller break down?

[MissWalshy]

.................you don't need 5 pages to arrange a meet.........

2 so far Walshy.

Shrewth you're correct.

Guys....

It's the Canterbury at whatever time to suit yourselves..

[philipchevron]

Lugging an exceptionally heavy suitcase from Stratford to Nottingham by rail

I thought all you millionaire rock stars paid people to do that sort of thing for you! And travelling by rail........... was it a private carriage or did the Roller break down?

You have me mixed up with.....................Bono?

[MissWalshy]

You mean your 'OTHER' band is not U2?

Crikey crikey crikey!

[firehazard]

4- No wheelchair access. No wheelchair toilets.

Bugger firehazard!

Thanks for those kind words, MissWannabeamod, and for all the time and effort you've put into making the arrangements.

If anyone else has problems with the access at the suggested inaccessible pub (you never know online, do you?), I'd be pleased to stand them a drink of the overpriced stuff on sale in the Academy (which is itself not the most wheelchair-friendly venue). I probably have to get there early anyway to work out how to get myself in. I'd hoped to get the access checked out by now, but for some reason it hasn't happened. Such is life.

[Heather]

4- No wheelchair access. No wheelchair toilets.

Bugger firehazard!

Thanks for those kind words, MissWannabeamod, and for all the time and effort you've put into making the arrangements.

If anyone else has problems with the access at the suggested inaccessible pub (you never know online, do you?), I'd be pleased to stand them a drink of the overpriced stuff on sale in the Academy (which is itself not the most wheelchair-friendly venue). I probably have to get there early anyway to work out how to get myself in. I'd hoped to get the access checked out by now, but for some reason it hasn't happened. Such is life.

Aren't places supposed to provide wheelchair access by law?

I know it doesn't happen because my mates husband is disabled and he has terrible trouble.

[firehazard]

Aren't places supposed to provide wheelchair access by law?

They are, Heather, but it's a flawed law, rarely enforced, and a lot of places refuse to do anything about it until they are threatened with legal action.

And as long as people's attitudes are that it doesn't matter, because it doesn't affect them personally, then the problem will persist.

[MissWalshy]

4- No wheelchair access. No wheelchair toilets.

Bugger firehazard!

Thanks for those kind words, MissWannabeamod, and for all the time and effort you've put into making the arrangements.

If anyone else has problems with the access at the suggested inaccessible pub (you never know online, do you?), I'd be pleased to stand them a drink of the overpriced stuff on sale in the Academy (which is itself not the most wheelchair-friendly venue). I probably have to get there early anyway to work out how to get myself in. I'd hoped to get the access checked out by now, but for some reason it hasn't happened. Such is life.

[glidrens]

So the The Canterbury Arms it is......
coming in from Sweden on saturday

[Niall]

.................you don't need 5 pages to arrange a meet.........

2 so far Walshy.

Shrewth you're correct.

Guys....

It's the Canterbury at whatever time to suit yourselves..

up here we have a democracy and not a dictatorship which explains why we need to thoroughly discuss all possible options.

[Fionn MacCool]

When it says the pub has no wheelchair access, could that just mean that there's a doorstep and no ramp or something? Because not many pubs have stairs. Perhaps someone/a couple of someones could offer to lift yer man and his chair here over the obstacle or something? Apologies if this sounds insensitive or undignifying, only trying to help Best of luck firehazard mate.

[firehazard]

Apologies if this sounds insensitive or undignifying, only trying to help.

Cheers, TOSCS, no apologies needed, and thanks for at least thinking about it, the thought's appreciated. I could tell you about all the lifting and heaving that went on the last time I went to Brixton, but this isn't the place.

To be honest, it seems a bit early to be thinking about all this more than three months in advance. I still have no idea when exactly I'll be likely to get there anyway. But my guess is that I'll end up having to get into the venue ridiculously early. And the whole story, with all its ups and downs, and bumps and bruises, will, no doubt, end up in a Travelpogue.