Sociable Tom

Miss Saigon

Kim and Eva at Miss Saigon

Yes, you read that right, I went to Miss Saigon...a musical. I'd like to be able to say I was taken there against my will, but I wasn't. I went voluntarily, well, to be fair it wasn't entirely voluntary. I was TOLD to book the tickets by Kim. I didn't really have a choice. I watched the short teaser video Kim sent with her order "Tom get it booked" and thought "yea, sure. It looks ok" This was March and I was booking for the end of June, at this time I wasn't thinking about actually having to go. 

Get it booked!

You see they are my favourite people called Kim and Eva... and my Mum's called Eva and, well, my Dad's not technically called Kim but he has looked into changing his name to Kim by deed poll as he's a massive fan of the North Korean former supreme leader Kim Jong Il. 

We always have a laugh when we get together and I was swayed by the promise of pizza beforehand. I now realise the promise of pizza was used as a distraction. It was like rattling a set of shiny keys to distract a toddler. 

This was a professional hit

Seating plan at the theater

I booked the tickets over the phone as I couldn't see any wheelchair seats when I tried to book online. Their website seems to be very good though. They have an interactive, real-time seating plan, where the available seats are colour coded according to their price, allowing you to see which seats are cheaper instantly. There is a helpful key showing what the icons that appear on certain seats mean. As it turned out on this occasion there weren't any wheelchair seats available so I booked the only 3 seats together where 1 of the seats was on the aisle.

We entered the packed Hippodrome foyer via the double doors, I was able to roll straight in. Everywhere was accessible in the wheelchair. There was a nice section in the middle for sitting while you're waiting for your taxi, that was set up in such a way it didn't matter if you were able bodied or wheelchair bound. There were many different levels taking you to different theatres that could be accessed via lift or stairs. There were staff everywhere - one of which directed us to the theater Miss Saigon would be in and told us where the bar was as the performance wasn't starting for 20 minutes.

It wasn't going to be long enough to get blackout drunk, but every little helps. 

I detached my testicles,

put them in my pocket 

and made my way into the theater 

I took a deep breath, looked around to make sure there was nobody I knew, and showed our tickets.

Tickets for Miss Saigon

The tickets clearly showed that two of the seats were half priced. However, I hadn't noticed that they were both for support/companion, 1 of them should have been for a wheelchair user. I could have transferred into the seat, but I didn't go into the theatre as apparently there were steps to get to the seats.

"Great, if I can't get in, I'll just re-attach my nuts and go and sit at the bar" I thought

"If there's room you can watch it from the lounge. Let me just check" the attendant said.

"Oh, great thanks!" I said, while also thinking "free upgrade? Yes please!"

I pictured us being led to a room where people were wearing tuxedos', sipping champagne and carefully removing Ferrero Roche so they didn't all topple, like they were playing Jenga. We were walked about twenty metres away from our original seats, went around a corner and up a ramp to the 'lounge', an area right at the back with some cheap chairs, one of which was removed so I could get in. It did have a small wall but you could see over it. We were basically in the same part of the theater as everyone else.

I think I may have misheard the original offer, or the attendants offer was rejected by someone higher up in favour of this.

Watching Miss Saigon

My Review

Miss Saigon is a very popular musical, the place was packed, the whole place stood up at the end and clapped and whooped. 

It looked like a top production, they hadn't scrimped on the sets, they were fantastic and they would rotate so they could change location on the fly. There were a lot of extras as there were a couple of scenes in a bar. I guess the speaking cast were good, but I'm not the right person to ask, the standing ovation at the end says they were.

My review is in no way a criticism of THIS production, but the musical in general. In fact I'm not going to give my opinion. It is just my opinion...and as I don't like musicals, I wouldn't be able to give it a fair review.

Simon and Garfunkel

The Simon & Garfunkel Story

These tickets were bought as a Christmas present for my parents. My Brothers and I hadn't got a clue what to get them, Daniel was looking on the Internet and came across these tickets. Simon and freaking Garfunkel! They hadn't toured in about 25 years! It was a tour called The Simon & Garfunkel Story which makes sense because they'd been quiet for a long time, there was a whole generation that didn't know them. I was surprised  they were coming to Bacup Lancashire though, they had once played to a few hundred thousand in Central Park, now they were playing to a few hundred in Bacup? Oh how the mighty have fallen.

We snapped the tickets up for £40...er £400 (Dad might read this).

Unfortunately the Wheelchair access wasn't great...at Daniel's house. Daniel lives on quite a steep hill, has a gravel drive, a step into his house and an upstairs toilet only. Come to think of it my other brother - Adam - has got a gravel drive as well, he doesn't live an hour and a half away though and has got a downstairs toilet, so Adam obviously doesn't hate me as much as Daniel does. It was a relatively small venue (a few hundred) and it wasn't particularly wheelchair friendly. It is like all 20th century theaters I've come across, wheelchair accessibility was necessary long after it was built. The first few rows of seats are on a flat floor but then the rest of the seating is on a rake so there are steps. There is a gallery above but there are steps to every row up there. The only option was to get a front row seat, but what were the odds of that? I mean Simon & Garfunkel...in a few hundred seater theater? Those tickets would be like gold dust, but Daniel was able to get some. He had got us the five seats at the end so I was able to transfer into a big boy chair. Unfortunately it was a considerable obstacle for anybody to get past. It would be quite a fire hazard, although hopefully people would help the bloke who needed it first.

Erm, That Ain't Simon & Garfunkel

Yea, so it wasn't Simon & Garfunkel. A bit annoying actually as we'd forked out £40...£400. They should have made it clear that it wasn't the actual 84 year olds, I'm sure I wasn't the only person in Bacup who felt cheated that night.

Fatboy Slim

Watching Fatboy Slim

This is something I booked back in November. I'm not a massive Fatboy Slim fan, but some of his songs were massive in the late 90s early 2000s, when I was younger and cooler. A Facebook ad popped up on my Facebook Newsfeed that he was coming to Cannock Chase and it seemed a rare opportunity to see him without having to go far. I was sure between November 2025 and June 2026 I would have dozens of people begging me for use of my free ticket. I mean it was £60 and I was asking nadda, nowt, zip. I was wrong. My friend Tony did jump at the opportunity though and was a great companion.

I had been to a gig at the Chase back in 2008 while I was still in hospital. 

The venue was only a few years into hosting these festival style gigs in 2008 and was a lot more basic and nowhere near the scale of this. 

I arrived at 20:30 about half an hour before Mr Slim was set to start. We drove a good distance once we got onto the Chase, directed by stewards in bright jackets. We stopped and showed a steward my access to the blue badge car park ticket, we were able to take a road right upto the field by the venue, cars were parked neatly as if there were white lines marking out parking spaces. As I was only being dropped off, an actual parking space wasn't needed, so were able to stop right next to the entrance. Tony met us and I rode into the venue with all of the 4mph capability of my iM4.Elite. The grass had been kept short and because it had been incredibly hot for days, the ground was hard so it was no different to travelling on concrete. We showed our tickets and entered the venue. The scale of it was unbelievable. There were people as far as the eye could see. There were burger vans, chip vans, hot dog vans, drink vans...well let's just say there were lots of vans. We were at the tail end of a heat wave, the weather was cooling off and compared to the last week was going to be a lot cooler. I don't think the weather could have been more perfect. I was in a t-shirt, hot, but not uncomfortably so. People were sitting in groups, drinking beer out of plastic cups, people were running around and doing cart-wheels, people were queueing at the food/drink vans, people were walking here there and everywhere. 

What I'm trying to illustrate is that there was a freedom to what people were able to do. There was a happy summer vibe, people were loving life and dancing to the quite loud dance music that was being pumped through the stereo by the DJ that was currently warming up the crowd. 

Access to the
raised viewing platform

I had also requested access to the raised platform, which I was only allowed to access if I was wearing a pink band on my wrist. They seemed to be quite strict about the people that could be up here as the view was quite brilliant and they didn't want those with a poor view storming the higher ground of the viewing platform. 

In my experience wheelchair access in newly constructed venues E.G The Utilita Arena in Birmingham or Cannock Chase is excellent. The view of a wheelchair user seems to have been at the front of their minds, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if it was the first thought they had, and

then everything else was designed around it. In most theaters it is an afterthought, because, well it WAS an afterthought. In some cases it's a 100+ year afterthought and the view you get isn't very good, often at the back or behind a pillar.

Holy mackerel that's a lot of people!

We made our way up the ramp and found a space towards the end of the viewing platform. It was quite long - I would say about 100 meters - there were a lot of wheelchair users taking advantage of a decent view. There were loads of portaloos behind the viewing platform, it seemed to be where all the toilets were. People were walking in front of the viewing platform all the time I was there. When I bought the tickets it did say there were disabled loos but sadly I didn't have the need for them. Sorry to disappoint.

Fatboy Slim

I won't write a wordy review of the concert, because, well it would be simply IT WAS F*****G AWESOME! I spent virtually the whole concert stood up as there were bars along the side of the raised viewing platform, and I can stand without problem as long as I've got something to hold, plus the bars were exactly at eye height. If I didn't stand I had to look through the gap in the bars, hunched, like I was peering through someone's letterbox.

There was a woman in front of us who didn't stop dancing for the whole time he was on. And I don't mean dancing secretly on the spot so nobody could see. She was jumping around, arms out wide, sometimes running from side to side with her knees almost touching her ears I would imagine shouting something like "MAD FER EET"

Our view was excellent, although if it wasn't I wouldn't have been missing much, you're not really there to see a performance, he is just in a DJ booth in the middle of the stage. He did come to the front of the stage a couple of times to interact with the crowd and went into the crowd at one point to show people how to dance to a particular song.

The place was at capacity, an estimated 10,000 people. The atmosphere was epic, the only disadvantage was the viewing platform was at the side. It was an occasion to be with a group of mates, drinking beer and dancing around. I can't complain though it was brilliant.

Something Rotten!

Something Rotten
Opera House, Manchester

Again this was booked months ago because of a Facebook ad I saw. I went with Tony (a different Tony from the Fatboy Slim gig) we have been to a fair few comedy shows at Stafford Gatehouse and we decided to give this a go. It was at Manchester Opera House so we caught a train from Stafford Station. I booked Passenger Assistance again as it takes away the stress of travelling by train.

I arrived good and early, announced my arrival at the ticket office and was told that the train I was booked on is now arriving at a different platform and is running slightly late. I was to wait by the passenger assistance collection point and somebody would take me to the platform.

Tony arrived and we had a Starbucks while we waited. About 10 minutes before the train was due to arrive passenger assistance came to inform us there was a decent delay and the train was going to be about 20 minutes late.

We eventually got on the train at 12:02, that was 29 minutes after it was meant to arrive. I had booked the train to get us into Manchester much earlier than necessary as this is always likely to happen when involving train travel...in England. We were supposed to be getting into Manchester Piccadilly at 12:30 which would give us a leisurely thirty four minutes to transfer to the train that would take us to Deansgate. As it stood we would get in at 12:59 and have 5 minutes to transfer.

TOILET watch 

The toilet was tiny. I obviously couldn't turn around - and I can turn on a six pence - but the gap between the toilet and the wall was just wide enough to fit the wheelchair, there was no room to manoeuvre. I couldn't shut the door yet because the controls were behind me. There wouldn't be enough room to fully retract the arm of the wheelchair once the door was shut, so I retracted it enough to swing my legs around and transferred to the toilet. I then held onto the bar around the sink, stood up and pressed the button to shut the door. I then pressed the lock button and the door opened. With the train throwing me around and having tried many different combination of buttons, I shut the door, left it unlocked and hoped I wouldn't get a visitor.

1/5: 

We're on Time!

Even better than that, we were one whole minute quicker than previously expected. Which means we had got to Manchester Piccadilly at 12:58. In fact, we were so quick our connecting train wasn't here yet. A guy from the train company took us to a tram platform that was inside the train station and told us to stay on for three stops. Then it would be a five minute walk to the theatre. 

All of Manchester Piccadilly (or at least the area we went in) was like rolling on an ice rink...but not cold...or slippy...or wet. Actually,  this is a really bad analogy. 

He waited with us until the tram arrived and hovered with intent to assist me when I couldn't get onto the slightly raised tram. He didn't need too though as I pushed my feet into the ground and lifted the front wheels over the lip.

We arrived at the theater with plenty of time to spare, despite the trains doing there best to ruin our plans. We were taken through a different door to the theater and I was given a quick unthorough search. I would like to point out, my wheelchair has a pocket on the back of my seat. If you are going to search me it makes sense for you search this as well. 

As we were shown into the theater I was shown where the disabled toilet was, so...

TOILET watch 

This was an old theater so it was fortunate they had what was probably a store cupboard next to existing toilets. When the legislation came in for disabled access they obviously thought they could convert the store cupboard and keep all the toilets together. It was convenient, the toilets were right next to the theater, but it was tiny. With the door shut, there was just enough room to the wheelchair arm back hop across to the toilet, transfer back to the wheelchair and reach across to flush it. Thankfully a lady took pity on me trying to back out and guided me out.

1/5: 

 

We were shown to our seats and Tony was sitting behind me. I had specifically asked on the phone if that was the case as the seats were on different rows, I was assured they were next to each other. The woman sat behind had booked the other wheelchair spot. It had been double booked though and as she could transfer out of the wheelchair, she sat in a normal seat and they took her wheelchair out. The tickets required the wheelchair be no longer than 83cm, seemingly because the space for the wheelchair was about 90cm long. I had to reverse into aisle, with Tony guiding me in and then lifting the back of the wheelchair to position me as there wasn't enough space to turn. Our view was excellent though. Once again the after thought of wheelchair access turned out very well.

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook

Cadbury world

Today was another trip that had been organised by Headway South Staffs. This time we were going to Cadbury World in Birmingham. 

Anne Marie announced the trip to the group and looked puzzled as the blank attendance sheet she was pinning to the notice board had my name already written on it by the time she put it up on the wall. She then reached into her pocket to find a crisp £10 note to book my place. 

To say I was excited for this was an understatement. You could say I have a slight chocolate addiction but you'd be wrong...I have a big addiction.

8:28

I catch the number nine bus ran by Select Bus Services which isn't particularly reliable. Regularly busses don't turn up, so when a bus does turn up it has all of the passengers that were meant to be on the previous bus. It does keep time pretty well though, when it turns up, it's usually on time. It's never early though, except for this occasion.

8:48

I checked the My Trip app and saw that the bus was early and was already at the next stop. Typical. I waited for another twenty minutes and caught the next bus. It normally takes me ten minutes to get into town, but the mini bus was due to leave at 9:00am. I texted Anne Marie with tears in my eyes, hoping she could tell my text was merely what I thought I should say, but I in no way meant it. The undertone of my message was "DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT ME!"

9:00

I got to town and could see the mini bus was still there. My bus goes past Headway South Staffs before it reaches its stop

9:03

I get off the bus by bouncing off the sides like a pin ball. Regular passengers must think I'm a dreadful driver...well to be fair, they've got to the right conclusion but for the wrong reason. You see the aisle is a few centimeters wider than my wheelchair, and the joystick is so sensitive, the slightest gust of wind from my hand moving near it is the equivalent of pushing the joystick hard. Pushing it in the other direction means you immediately run into the opposite wall.

I arrive and immediately head towards the back of the bus where the wheelchair lift is as I thought everybody would be waiting to depart.

"Tom...Tom! TOM!

I turn around and head back to the front of the bus

"Where are you going? They're waiting inside for you"

I head down the path at full power - all 4mph of the mighty iM.4 Elite is unleashed.

The gate is ajar but not fully opened!

There is plenty of room to get through the gate, but I'm in a rush! I don't have the time to slow down.

So I ram into it.

My entrance doesn't prompt any shouts of "what's that?" Or a startled inquisitive look, the crash of my arrival had merely told everyone the idiot they were waiting for was here. Anne Marie popped her head out: "Here he is, turn around we need you on the bus". 

9:17

I drove to the back of the bus where Richard (the driver) had set up the lift. When the lift reached the height of the bus, Richard took over the controls and drove the chair into the position he needed, my reputation has preceded me I thought. I could have been slightly offended, but I was actually slightly impressed, he'd managed to get into position without running into things, I didn't realise that was possible! He strapped me in so tight I think if we drove off a cliff I'd still be alright.

Cadbury World

We arrived, and, well I didn't see what I expected. I had watched the Inside Cadbury:Chocolate secrets unwrapped on Netflix. As you can see from the video there are shots of the Cadbury and Bournville Factories, what it doesn't show you is that directly to the left of the old looking factory is a very new looking building with glass from floor to ceiling. I was helped off the bus and rather than head towards what looked a gift shop at an amusement park, I headed for the factory. I was immediately told I was going the wrong way and to head for the shiny new building. If I wasn't sure which way to go I just had to head for the building that a line of primary school children had entered.

Access was pretty good though, the car park surrounded the building, there seemed to be plenty of disabled parking spaces and it was a short trip from the bus to the entrance. It started to rain as soon as I entered the not particularly busy building, there were a few people here but it wasn't bustling.

 

We were told the tour would take about 2 hours, which having watched the documentary would be quite an interesting 2 hours I thought and there would be plenty of opportunities to try the chocolate before it's made into the confectionary it's intended for. As the tour starts we go past a lady who hands us three chocolate bars - Wispa, Dairy Milk and Caramel. They were full size bars as well, none of your fun size rubbish, which definitely is not fun. 

These aren't fun size, they're pointless size. 

First is a walk around some displays they've made to explain how chocolate came to Europe. Well that's what I learnt from the interactive screens. There was nobody with us to tell us what we were looking at, nobody had told me what to expect. I'm sure somebody in our group was told, but if you're expecting your customers to make their own way around, you should make sure they know. 

I've learnt since that we were on the self guided tour. They don't seem to offer any other kind of tour, the self guided tour is all that's mentioned on the website.

Then we went through a doorway as if we were changing zones on The Crystal Maze and emerged on a set similar to The Muppet Christmas Carol. There were dozens of
people here, most of which weren't from our group, not only were we giving ourselves a tour, but we had joined other groups. We were in the middle of an old English high street, there was somebody here who briefly explained this is like the high street where John Cadbury had a small shop before founding Cadbury. A short dramatised video from the founder John Cadbury was going to play. We turned our attention to the screen to see a man in a wig wearing clothes of the period speaking in a very proper English accent. Just before the video finished the person re-appeared and beckoned me over to some double doors, the next part of this tour was in the small theater next door. There was another short video of this fellah in a wig, sorry, John Cadbury. Next it was through to another small theatre next door, but this one was 4D. I was told however that I wouldn't feel the benefits as I need to be sitting on the seating provided to feel it shake. I can't say I was particularly disappointed to be excluded from this experience, I wanted to stay in my chair, it's got a comfy cushion, the benches looked hard and uncomfortable. I sat in the theater watching as a floating head of John Cadbury appeared on a small screen above our heads and his son appeared on the screen at the side of the stage. They spoke to each other as if they were in the same room.

Next we stood in a corridor for about ten minutes, I didn't know why at the time but I know why now. 

We were queueing to see a live demonstration. 

I could hear that there was a video playing on a TV, I don't know what was playing as I couldn't see. I could barely hear it either and there weren't any speakers for people further down the line, basically you couldn't see or hear it unless you were near it in the queue.

I know now that this queue was because there was a live demonstration going on up ahead. They were obviously only going to do this once, and the people who weren't fortunate enough to see it, could watch on the television...you see where I'm going? This demonstration is basically in a corridor, so the amount of people who will be able to see it is minimal and the amount who will be able to watch on the TV is minimal.

By the time we got to the demonstration area, there was nobody there, we just walked past it, giving it a glance as it looked fairly modern and not at all interesting. 

Rather than continue in my relentless assassination of Cadbury World I decided to have a look around the Internet and see what other people are saying.

What Others Say

A Google search for "Cadbury World reviews"

*--------------------------------*

It appears I'm not the only one with a negative review, although to be fair there do seem to be quite a lot of 4 or 5 star reviews and just about every review mentions whether their children enjoyed it or not. I would admit it's an attraction for small children, a demographic I aged out of in the 80s. 

Disabled Toilets?

The first set of toilets we came to didn't have disabled facilities. I was told by another customer in the queue that the toilets are very narrow, so that may be the reason. I looked for somebody to ask where the nearest disabled toilets were, but as we were on the self guided tour there didn't seem to be anyone around. I might be being a bit harsh there, there may well have been people around but I couldn't get to them as I WAS QUEUING IN A NARROW FREAKING CORRIDOR!

Is It Required By Law To Have A Disabled Toilet

How the chocolate is made

Next we went into a room where you could see into production rooms to see the chocolate being made. They were currently making footballs and football boots for Father's Day. The production of the balls/boots had already been done and the workers were basically piping a message onto the balls. Not particularly interesting, but that's the luck of the draw and depends on what's being made at the time.

As we got past the window to view the various choc balls and shoes, there was a sign that said choose your toppings. Toppings to what? There was nobody around to ask. I picked a topping of white buttons and sour patch kids, although I still didn't know what they'd be a topping for, I figured that would become clear. Jo went to get whatever it was, she returned with a small plastic cup of white and chocolate buttons and 1 sour patch kid. I've since learnt that the cup was meant to be filled with melted chocolate topped by my 2 choices.

The 4D cinema

Next was the 4D cinema. We took an elevator down to the cinema. The roof of the elevator is a large screen, with a view of the elevator shaft that has a troublesome parrot pulling on the falling elevator so it's falling unevenly. It was fun and would be a hit with small children. The lift feels like it's falling quickly, I imagine if you're a small child it would feel quite convincing.

The 4D cinema is easily the highlight, although far too short. You sit in a purple leather recliner and wear 3D glasses. I was able to transfer into the recliner, although I couldn't see in 3D, which I expected but it didn't really impact on my enjoyment. The enjoyment was to be had with the fun roller coaster ride, the chair dips and raises and tilts as you hurtle around Cadbury World. You go up in a hot air balloon and feel the air blowing in your face.

Adverts

There have been hundreds of famous Cadbury adverts that stick in the memory. The Cadbury Milk Tray man, all of the Cadbury Flake adverts, the Cadbury's caramel bunny voiced by Miriam Margolyes, the blue car and the red car had a race Double Decker advert and the iconic gorilla playing the drums along to In The Air Tonight. I'm not sure how this was done, whether it be CGI, puppetry, a guy in a suit... But if you're going to recreate it, you've got to make it exactly the same as the advert or at least close to it. The advert was brilliant because it looked so real, it moved like a gorilla/human. What they showed at Cadbury World was embarrassing. It probably cost them a lot to make and all it does is show up the fact that it's a very unconvincing animatronic whose limbs can only move in a specific direction. It was as convincing as those toy monkeys that bang two cymbals together.

End of tour

Well, it was for us anyway. I'm not sure if the tour was meant to stop there, but as nobody was giving the tour...We finished at the gift shop which was by far the best bit in my eyes. Although I expected there to be lots of different flavours or fillings of chocolate bars that you don't find elsewhere, there wasn't. Everything available you'll find in supermarkets and likely for less money. Everything was under one roof though and Cadbury chocolate is the best chocolate in my opinion, so I was happy.

In conclusion

I was very disappointed. I think that was largely my fault as I was expecting to see what I saw in the Inside Cadbury:Chocolate secrets unwrapped on Netflix, and as I found out, that documentary is filmed in the factory, not the building we were in. However if I hadn't gone in with any expectations I still don't think I would have enjoyed it. For the amount of money they charge I think it's ridiculous they don't conduct the tour. The queues are incredibly annoying and you are joined with other tours to get as many people through the doors as possible.

The wheelchair facilities are woeful and in one case non existent.

I am not the demographic though, young children are and I can see they would love it. There appears to be a whole outside playground, with picnic tables and booths selling hot and cold food that I can't comment on as we didn't go there.

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook

Walking? Sure, I Can Do That...

When I first came home from hospital, I would walk the length of my bedroom on a daily basis, with a Zimmer Frame to keep me upright and my Dad always walking beside me and grabbing the Zimmer when it started to tip from the weight I was putting through it. I know now that I was only using my legs when I was stepping, I was constantly putting weight through my arms - so rigid and tense, afraid that I was going to fall - making the Zimmer tip onto it's two right/left feet, and the likelihood I would follow unless my Dad grabbed me and the Zimmer. 

Dad was coming down everyday and I was getting tired of the fact I could only walk the same few meters, indoors, on a flat floor, with a frame that couldn't support me and a chaperone. What was the point in walking if I couldn't do it independently? The more determined of you would probably have a bit of patience and think "I'll get better with practice." 

I didn't. 

Having patience is something I can never be accused of. I said "sod this" and retreated to the safety of my wheelchair. I haven't walked with a walking frame since.

Many times over the years Dad has said to me
"you should give walking with a Zimmer a go again, I think you'd be much better now."
"Nah," I'd reply "It's too light, if you sneezed near it, it would tip. I wouldn't feel safe using it on my own so I'd rather use the wheelchair."

Does it have to be a Zimmer Frame?

I had noticed that when I caught the bus to Headway South Staffs I was frequently seeing people with walking aids, and they were never Zimmer Frames. They appeared to be heftier and they had handbrakes. I was looking at them and thinking "I think I could walk safely on my own with that."

1. The frame wouldn't run away as I moved it forwards. I could put the brakes on as and when I needed.
2. I could put the brakes on while I'm stepping forward which hopefully meant it wouldn't tip so easily.
3. I would take big steps meaning the frame was so far in front of me I was practically horizontal trying to keep my feet on the floor and hold onto the Zimmer.

However every single person I'd seen was able to walk as if their walking frame wasn't necessary. They weren't using the brakes. They were walking in one continuous motion. I wanted to do that. I was fairly sure I wouldn't be able too, I would have to use the brakes so often I think there would be permanent dents in the wheels. I could use it around the house though.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Paul Briggs from Rollz - who I'd met at Naidex - came to Headway South Staffs with a few models for me to try. Just from the look of it I could see it was heavier than a Zimmer Frame. Paul showed me that it had drag brakes. He could see my look of confusion. Can you only use the brakes if you're wearing a sparkly frock? Drag brakes are permanent fixtures attached to the back wheels. I could set how much resistance the drag brakes offer, apply constant friction to the wheels to slow down the rollator and prevent it from running away.

The first frame I tried was lighter than the second frame but it had drag brakes fitted to it, so it was harder to move. I put the handbrakes on, pushed up from the wheelchair - this is important as the alternative was to pull on the frame, and, well it would struggle to aid me when all four legs aren't on the floor. 

Paul was stood in front of the frame in case I needed rescuing, which I'm pleased to say I didn't. I wasn't entirely comfortable with the width of it. I felt I couldn't have my legs as far apart as I wanted. My balance is atrocious and the narrowness meant I was probably relying on my arms for balance more than I should. The frame didn't tip though, I don't know if that's because I wasn't putting as much weight through my arms nowadays, or because the frame was sturdy.

I was right about not being able to walk in one continuous motion, I was so slow they were locking up the building by the time I finished, and the meeting started at 10am.

The second frame was about 1kg heavier, but didn't have drag brakes, it was wider though. I could have my legs as wide as I needed so I wasn't putting any weight through my arms.

I walked the length of the carpeted area, slightly quicker than the other frame. I don't know this for a fact, but the shadow the sun was casting in the room didn't move.

Most of Headway South Staffs is carpeted, but there are a couple of areas covered by lino, so I tried it on here to see if the none friction lino made frame harder to control. I didn't notice any difference, Paul stood in front of me but again I didn't need rescuing. 

How Much?

This had confirmed what I had suspected for a long time. I was more than capable of walking with a walking frame. If I hadn't been so impatient when I was younger and just stuck at it I could be one of the speed walkers, walking in one continuous motion. But, better late than never. I was sold and ready to start using these pipe cleaners for legs for transport. As it turned out, there was a sticking point. It would cost a price that was too rich for my blood. Anne Marie (yes Anne Marie I mentioned you again) told me about Ableworld a mobility store that was around the corner - they're a store supplying mobility products including wheelchairs, walking aids, scooters, beds & lifts for baths & stairs.

I knew what I was after now and I knew the price I needed to beat - I didn't know if the price I'd been quoted was typical.

Ableworld is vast, I would recommend it to anyone in the Stafford area. Although I do feel loyal to Easy Living Mobility as well, as that is where I bought my trustee steed (iM4.Elite). Easy Living Mobility have quite a large store and excellent customer service, although the store's not quite as large as Ableworld, but then some football stadia aren't as large.

Lighter Isn't Better

There are many carbon fibre wheelchairs on a raised plinth to grab your attention as you enter. This isn't a criticism of Ableworld but is merely some advice when purchasing an electric wheelchair from any establishment. Some of these extra light wheelchairs are around ten kg and can set you back between £2500-£3000, but a light wheelchair is only going to be suitable to take you around the shops on a nice flat and smooth floor. As soon as you go out into the car park where the terrain won't be perfectly flat, you'll find the direction of your wheelchair being dictated by any dips or slight cambers. You will try and steer in the opposite direction but your wheelchair won't be able to go in the direction you're telling it. The wheels are often small, shiny, plastic things that are barely capable of travelling indoors on smooth floors, outdoors it might encounter a piece of gravel that will be like an immovable object.

My wheelchair is 26kg, quite heavy for some to load into the boot of a car. However it's still too light when travelling past some drop curbs. The dip of the path takes away your control.

Walking Frames Galore

Ableworld had rows and rows of walking frames, and they were all for less than I'd been quoted. I tried a number of different frames, all had hand functioning brakes, none had the drag brakes but it was something I didn't really notice as I would move the frame, put the breaks on and step into it. 

However, I said earlier I was fairly sure I wasn't going to be able to walk in one continuous motion. And I was right! There was a silver lining though technology had improved to aid my inadequacies.

I don't want to brag, but it turns out I'm brilliant at standing up and holding onto a walking frame all on my own. I'm probably the best to have ever done it. On this video the brakes are on so that the frame doesn't move as I stand up. Well guess what? I can don't need the brakes off now. The frame is free to roll away, it never does though. Impressed? Remember, not all heroes wear capes.

The last walking frame I tried was about five feet tall. It was the Peter Crouch of the walking frame world and as it was a lot taller than your typical walking frame. I didn't expect much from it, but I thought I'd give it a go as it was there. It was a clearance item so it was cheaper than the others. It felt quite strange at first as my arms weren't reaching down, instead there were two arms at shoulder height with grips to hold onto - like a joystick. The frame felt a bit flimsy as the top half would lean towards me when I pulled on the grips to take a step...I shouldn't have been pulling on it though. I'm supposed to just hold the grips and put any weight through my legs.

Well Reader, I Bought It

I decided to take a punt on it. It was cheaper than all the other frames I tried. It was a bit of a strange contraption, but nobody would see me using it. The wheels are shiny, plastic things, meaning - as I said above with the carbon fibre wheelchairs - it's only suitable for indoors. Which is fine, it takes an awful long time to get anywhere by foot and it's quite tiring walking indoors let alone outdoors.

What's the point in walking if I couldn't do it independently?

In answer to my younger impatient self's question, I would answer, simply exercise. My younger self didn't want to face the realities he wouldn't be able to walk again. Unless he was able to do it as well as before, there was no point. Nowadays I realise there is a point, the goal isn't to walk around with the speed and confidence I used to.

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook

Wheelchair Worries - Naidex 26th March 2026

Naidex is the UK’s leading event for disability, accessibility, and independent living.

The alarm

It's 5:30am, sunlight seeps through the cracks in the curtains. The faint sound of birds tweeting is replaced by the sound of morning has broken as my phone plays its alarm. I sit bolt upright with a big grin on my face and rub my eyes, letting out a loud yawn while stretching my arms out to the sides.

"yey! It's Naidex day!"

That's how I'd like to start this post, but it wouldn't be the truth. 

It's 5:30am. 5:30am!! The clocks won't go forward for another three days, British Summer Time doesn't exist at this time. Therefore, no light seeps through the cracks in the curtains because it's cold and dark. Birds haven't migrated to these shores from warmer climates yet and the British birds are tucked up in bed with their heads under the covers, all I can hear is the distant drone of the M6. The sound of a fog horn wakes me with a start - I'm sure that's not the alarm tone I set on my phone. I take my arm from its warm and cosy place of rest and reach out into the cold bedroom to turn it off. "Shut the **** up", I mutter under my breath as I turn it off. I contemplate closing my eyes again and getting another hour of shut eye - surely it's not going to take me two and a half hours to get ready for my 8:00 taxi.

This is the sort of question I ask myself when my alarm goes off stupidly early on the mornings I'm at Headway - my bus/taxi won't be turning up for hours. "Surely it's not going to take two hours to get ready?" 

It does though, my morning routine isn't anything unusual, it just takes me longer to get things done.

I was well aware of this (when conscious), however at this point the appeal to close my eyes again far outweighs logical thinking and I immediately fall asleep and an hour later leap out of bed cursing myself for what will now be a stressful rush to be ready. I'm no less tired then when I briefly woke up earlier. Was the extra hour of shuteye (which felt like 5 minutes) going to be worth the stress, destruction and bruised shins? Destructive because I'm trying to wheel around the house as fast as I can and I smack into walls and door frames in my haste. Bruised shins because I bash my legs against the frame of the wheelchair or bashing into the walls and door frames. Stressful, well, because I'm being destructive and causing bruising my shins, all because I wanted a bit of extra shut eye.

But on this occasion there was no questioning the alarm, I knew I had to get up. I'd been warned on the pain of death by Eva to meet her at Stafford train station at 8:30. Well, she didn't say it quite in those terms, but she is the type of person that will arrive somewhere half an hour before the agreed time in case there are any hold ups. 

Eva told me about Naidex a few months ago, I'd never heard of it, but Eva had been going to it for about six years and is very much 'in the know' about any aids that would help me. Because of Naidex she knows about all of the advancements and all of the places you can go to do certain activities like abseiling, water skiing, cave walks...the list goes on, but I'm always amazed at what is available to me. This is a world that has passed me by. Eva isn't in a wheelchair though so I'd like to be able to speak to some of these organisations myself and find out exactly how they can help me. Her knowledge and help has been invaluable and she always says it's because of Naidex that she has the knowledge she does.

All we needed now was our good friend Kim to come along to make it feel like a day out. About a week before the event Kim was added to our travel party. So...

Road trip!!!!

well actually

Rail trip!!!!

I asked Eva when and where it is.
"Birmingham NEC, it starts at 10am on Thursday March 26th"
So I opened the passenger assist app on my phone, told it I was travelling from Stafford to the NEC, I wanted a return ticket, needed to arrive by 10 and leave by 16:00. It provides a list of options with differing departure times and any connections if it's not a direct train. You can view the station facilities of each train station you will visit on your journey. 

 

Passenger Assist

I have used Passenger Assist a number of times now and it's absolutely brilliant. They take away all the stress of travelling by train - which for me is changing your travel plans at a moments notice because of train delays/cancellations. They get you on and off the train and change your booking for an appropriate train if required. They will then wait with you or come back to meet you, with ramp in tow to get you on the train. When you reach a station you are getting off at you can often hear the ramp being put into place ready for you to roll straight off. I've never had to wait more than a couple of minutes.

Cancelled Train

I got to the train station at 8:15 and met Kim and Eva in Starbucks. The train wasn't until 9:12. Eva noticed on the departure that our train had been cancelled. She leapt straight into action. Operation GetNewTrain was initiated. But it was an operation that was sorted for us because I had passenger assistance. Eva just told somebody I had booked passenger assistance, they checked what trains would get us to the same destination. We were switched to a train that would be arriving on the platform very soon, it would get us to Birmingham New Street earlier than the other train.

I expected this alternative train to be quite busy but there was nobody in our carriage. It was a simple journey to Birmingham New Street and fortunately we'd gotten this earlier train because we had a looooong delay waiting on the connecting train that would take us to Birmingham International. We weren't waiting for the train to arrive, we were waiting for it to leave because there were far too many wheelchairs in our carriage. 

Unsurprisingly there were a few people in wheelchairs who were attending Naidex - the UK’s leading event for disability

Health & Safety

The train couldn't leave until they found a solution. A person wouldn't be able to get from one end of the carriage to the other, as there were about seven wheelchairs - some of which were lined up next to the toilet and in the walkway - people were having to stand in the aisles. I was crammed into the bit between the carriages where you get on and off. After about a twenty minute wait somebody from the train company boarded holding a mobile and asked if anybody minded having their photo taken as he had been asked to take a picture for their records. Nobody had a problem and we were ready to depart.

This wouldn't be the last problem we had with the train travel, but more on that later.

We arrived at Birmingham International, went underneath a large banner saying "welcome to the NEC" and went over a long bridge until we got to a lift. Went up the lift and began walking/rolling for what seemed like miles. Shuttle busses can be arranged to take you some of the way, but I assumed it would be like the shuttle bus they had in Gatwick when I was flying to Sorrento (see post - Sorrento Edition - Thursday 22nd June 2023) and I would have to drive myself.

Almost immediately my battery lost a light from it's range meter. The iM4.Elite from Easy Living Mobility has a range of 10 miles, a claim that I disproved in my post Just Call Me Phoebe Buffay. That test was done on roads and paths though, this time everywhere was going to be flat, I assumed it was going to breeze through this test. I had barely travelled anywhere under my own steam though, and it had already used a fifth of its range. I was slightly worried it wasn't going to last the distance.

We're here

We arrived at hall 20. I was a bit unsure whether it would be big enough, it was only 10,670 square meters (roughly 114,851 square feet). The ceiling is only about 10 metres, barely enough to house the climbing wall! Obviously I'm lying, this place was so huge I didn't even know there was a climbing wall! After we had lunch, Eva mentioned it.
"A climbing wall?" I asked "I take it I won't be able to go on it?"
"Yea you will, anybody can climb it."

Who Can Take Part? 

Everyone is welcome. 

You don’t need:

• Any climbing experience

• A high level of fitness 

• Special equipment  

You do need: 

•  A sense of curiosity 

•  A willingness to give it a go 

The climbing wall is open to disabled people, non-disabled people, families, carers, and first-time climbers alike.

Source: https://www.naidex.co.uk/whats-on/adaptive-climbing-wall

The queue to go on the climbing wall was huge and everybody waiting appeared to be children accompanied by an adult. It was clearly meant for children - I considered shaving my beard off to try and pass for a 10 year old - my lack of an Adams Apple was finally going to pay off, the rest of my 43 year old appearance would ruin my chances though, so i thought I'd give it a miss.

Sorry I skipped ahead there.

We showed we had tickets and a Lanyard was printed out with my name on it, and we strolled into the venue. This place was huge, and - you'll never believe this - but there were hundreds of people in wheelchairs. Everything was laid out like New York City's grid system, the roads were purple carpeted areas, if you were lost you could direct somebody to your position by saying something like "I'm at Thermomix and 14th"...they would have no idea what you meant though as that is something I've just thought of. Every couple of meters the wheelchair would run over the join of the thousands of pieces that were making up the artificial floor. It wasn't quite as busy as New York but it would have benefitted from a similar traffic system, I was worried for other people's safety - I was exposing them to my dodgy driving. Fortunately you don't need a licence to drive one of these things, but that rule might change when they see the damage I can do. 

There were some huge demonstration stands as soon as you entered, I presume these businesses had paid the most for what was prime position. As soon as I entered there was a guy demonstrating a wheelchair that was climbing stairs. There was a small crowd around him watching him achieve something that has flummoxed things on wheels for decades. Just ask Dr Who, whenever he's pursued by a Dalek he just climbs the nearest flight of stairs and the Dalek is buggered.

Behind this demonstration were several other wheelchairs spaced out as if they were in a shop showroom. I ventured in - taking care not to knock anything over, I presumed all of these wheelchairs/Transformers were as futuristic and expensive as the anti-dalek outside.

I was incredibly aware all the time I was here, "if I'm not super careful I could be leaving owing the GDP of a small country". In the absence of any mirrors I employed the LookaroundSignalManouvre rule instead of MirrorSignalManouvre. One might argue that I should be using this rule at all times...and you'd be right.

I ventured into the makeshift showroom and spoke to the salesman and found out that this was a Dutch company and he gave me a demonstration of what I would describe as another transformer, although - fortunately for the human race - if AI use these machines to take over the world, we will have ages to run away and hide while they wait for this thing to change. I've speeded up the video as it's quite boring. Impressive outcome though.

These battery updates are just to illustrate the battery was depleting at some point during the day. I'm not recalling the whole day, but this wheelchair allegedly has a range of 10 miles, 2 of the 5 lights aren't lit which means it's used 4 miles of it's charge. I'd be extremely surprised if I had travelled 4 miles plus every surface I'd been on was perfectly flat.

Thermomix

The Thermomix wasn't something we'd been hoping to get a demonstration of, but when we turned the corner and saw the stand Eva was telling us how brilliant it is. She's got one at home and has cooked every part of a roast dinner with it. I'm not much of a cook...actually, full disclosure I'm not a cook at all, I struggled to make toast pre brain surgery, and post surgery, my attempts to make beans on toast weren't exactly successful.

7.-8-08 OT

Hello!  Tom has been to supper club this afternoon/evening! Made beans on toast – pretty well except for setting fire to the grill and shoving his hand on the hot grill pan! Aiming to make home made burgers within the next 4 weeks (if we manage not to burn the place down in the meantime!)

N.B No injuries apparent!

Alice

Source: Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons

We stopped off to get a demonstration of this impressive bit of kit. The first thing I noticed was the touchscreen on the side. I assumed this was an add on that had been brought along to demonstrate the kit in its maximum capacity, but it comes as standard. In fact everything that was shown to us came as standard. The screen gives you access to 200 recipes, but if it has wifi and you have the app this gives you access to 100,000 recipes. It tells you how long each recipe will take, how many people it will serve, it guides you through every step telling you which components to use and what configuration to have the thermomix in. It does everything, it's got a set of scales with a pressure sensitive readout on your screen, it can be a blender, it can do anything from making ice cream and slicing fruit to add to the mix to roasting potatoes, or frying potatoes to make chips or cooking dough to make pizza or baking bread to make...erm, bread. It comes with a number of tools like a spatula to scrape the mix from the sides of the jug for your ice cream, you can attach a butterfly whisk so it can churn up whatever you've put in to your mix. 

Obviously it gets itself messy making whatever you've chosen to prepare, so you can tell it clean itself. Just fill it with water, pour in some washing up liquid put the lid back on and wait for it to finish cleaning. Oh and don't forget to rinse out the water before using it again, otherwise you'll give a whole new meaning to the phrase washing the fruit and veg.

My kitchen has normal height counters, so anything I put on there I can't see into. For example I can't see into a mug so putting milk into a cup of tea is a judgement call, unless I put the hot mug between my legs and pour the milk in then I can see into the mug but this solution comes with a number issues. Cooking provides a similar problem, plus there are many different appliances/tools naked flames, hot cookers, heavy and/or awkward pans/jugs/bowls etc. The Thermomix makes everything in the one container, it's portable so I can put it on a table at a level that's comfortable for me.

This isn't intended to be a review, hopefully this has introduced to a Thermomix if you weren't already familiar with it. To find out more go to their website please don't read this waffle and decide it's not for you. Watch this product demonstration instead. 

 

 

rollz

This was something I'd hoped to find at Naidex, I want to invest in a walking frame. 

I have a Zimmer Frame at home purely for standing with so that I can stretch my legs. I used to have a rollator Zimmer Frame as well - a frame with wheels. Although mine only had 2 wheels at the front and legs remained at the back to try and stop it running away.

I can't walk

Okay, that shouldn't really come as a shock. I just thought I was being lazy and liked being pushed around while in a comfy seat. But, then I remembered, I used to own a rollator Zimmer Frame but I got rid of it because it was always rolling away from me or the frame would tip over if somebody didn't correct it. I couldn't be left on my own using it because it was guaranteed I would fall. Using it as an alternative to using the wheelchair was a goal I didn't think I would achieve, so I gave up and took the easy comfortable option.

All these years later I am regretting that decision. I understand the mechanics of what I need to do to try and walk. I know why the frame was always rolling away. I know why it was tipping. I may not be able to apply the solution, but one thing's certain, I definitely won't with a Zimmer Frame.

The walking frames from Rollz are heavier, they have brakes under the handlebars where you hold on and you can add resistance to the back wheels so it's less likely to run away. I met Paul Briggs at Naidex, who gave me his card and is going to bring a few frames for me to try at Headway as that is where I'll be using it the most.

Access Card

Kim was interested in getting an Access Card and if she signed up while we were there she could get it free. FREE! I'd just renewed mine two days earlier at a cost of £15! 

Clockwise from top left:
Level access, Essential Companions, 
Distance, Difficulty Standing,
Urgent Toilet Needs, Difficulty with Crowds,
Audible Information, Visual information,
Miscellaneous

It's well worth getting an Access Card. It's so you can attend any participating venue and just show your card or quote your ID number when booking tickets online, and they will know what assistance you need. As you can see from the picture of my card - there are nine boxes at the bottom of the card. Three of the boxes are filled in signifying that I need level access, I have difficulty moving myself more than short distances and it would be significantly difficult to access services without support from another person. There are also six other disabilities you can declare. I had to get mine when booking tickets to see Roger Waters at The Utilita Arena in 2023. I needed it to prove I had a disability, a fake limp wasn't proof enough. They wanted proof I needed the chair for transport and didn't want to just be pushed around while sitting in a comfy seat. 

At some point I lost another light. That's 6 miles?!? Apparently I've travelled another 2 miles since my last battery check. I'd be surprised if I've even travelled 1 mile

Another Careless Wheelchair User

While we were wandering around we came across a guy sitting on a wheelchair at the top of 5 steps. This along with the other steps were the only occasion I saw steps today, and on both occasions a person was atop them stranded in a wheelchair. "Poor bugger" I thought. "Oh well, there's plenty of people around, someone will be able to help him". But he started to descend the stairs. He - like the guy earlier - had also got a solution to the growing Dalek issue. This seemed to descend quicker than the one earlier, plus this guy didn't seem to be doing anything, the other guy was having to turn in his seat and reach behind him to hold onto the handrail.

I didn't stick around to ask questions which I regret but I've had a quick look at their website xsto.co.uk/ and there machines don't seem too expensive. It is advertising the XSTO M4 (which isn't this stair climbing model) but is foldable, self balancing, can off road and looks very futuristic. It's from £3,495, which is a lot for a wheelchair until you see what it can do. The stair climber is £11,995, which is a lot, but then I don't know how it compares to others on the market.

Thor Assistive Technologies

Towards the back of the hall we came across another huge space, that had - among other things - a treadmill. Just as we arrived a middle aged lady was helped from her wheelchair into standing by her friend/family member and two people who seemed like representatives of this company. The lady was wearing a pair of short trousers over her trousers, either she had made an extremely questionable fashion choice or she had to wear them to use this. I was distracted at this point talking to a member of staff finding out if I could have a go. 

I could go after this lady.

The next time I looked over, I could only see her top half. Her legs were inside an inflatable cube. That explanation might not paint a very clear picture, but watch the video and tell me how you'd describe it. Her body started rocking as if her legs were moving. There was clearly some trickery going on here, but it would hardly get on Britain's Got Talent. 

After about 30 minutes it was my go and I would be let in on the magic trick.

I had to put on the long trousers as well, which could actually have been a fashion choice as I almost put some on when I got dressed this morning. I then stepped into a hole in a fabric membrane that was draped over the running matt - Seriously, just watch the video and this will make sense. The arms of the treadmill were then raised and my special trousers were attached to the membrane.

While I had been standing waiting for them to set everything up, I had been supporting my weight by using the arms of the treadmill. The membrane inflated with air and all of a sudden I was able to stand up without having to think about what I can lean on or what could prop me up. I was encouraged to remove my hands from the sides and stand completely unsupported.
"Really?" I asked, reluctant to fully trust my legs.

"Yup" She doubled down on her request.

For the first time in almost twenty years, I was standing unaided. I might have had thousands of pounds of technology doing all of the work, I might have been standing in an inflatable box, I might have been wearing questionable trousers but I was standing unaided. It was an extremely strange feeling, my legs didn't feel like there was anything pushing against them, it didn't feel like my legs were being held in position.

Next I had to walk. This felt impossible at first. The treadmill was set to 1km/hr which was just too fast for my brain to get the message to my feet. I was trying to move my feet quick enough to keep up with this painfully slow treadmill but I was getting into a complete tangle. I was raising my foot and quickly putting it down, but I didn't have the time to think about where it would land. I was treading on my other foot, I was frequently raising a foot to move it but before I could place it down, the treadmill had dragged my other foot away. Fortunately this magic box of air was keeping me upright.

The treadmill was reduced to the slowest speed possible and I started to get some sort of rhythm. I had time to think about the size of step I was taking and where I wanted my foot to land. It felt like I was in control of my motion rather than trying desperately to keep up.

I was absolutely knackered though. I was using muscles that haven't had to work like they were now for many years. I was saying to Amy - the physio who was helping me - that the lady who was before me was on the machine for about half an hour, I've been using it for seven minutes and I'm shattered. Amy did try and reassure me that each person is affected differently by their brain injury, "her muscles might not be having to work so hard" Amy explained.

I had a fantastic time at Naidex. Eva had been talking it up for many months and it didn't disappoint. It does help having great company. Naidex has shown me there is a solution for most things, some of those things are quite expensive and unachievable but it's great fun being able to come to something like this to try things.

I will definitely be going to Naidex 2027, well, providing the company is the same. Over to you Kim & Eva!

The battery remained on 2 lights. I'm realising that this might be a bit of an anti climax. Only an idiot would give battery updates for a battery that doesn't run out.

Getting home

Because our train had been cancelled on the way to Naidex our booking was lost for our return journey. Eva explained our predicament and we were told we could get on the next train. When the next train arrived we couldn't get on because 2 other wheelchair passengers had booked passenger assistance. Well, I  had as well but that had been lost, and even though a train can carry many passengers, it can only carry 2 wheelchair passengers?!?

It took us 3 hours to get home. The NEC is the ideal place to host Naidex. It's vast, it's in the middle of the country and it's got good facilities. Unsurprisingly, train travel is shocking. If there were no cancellations and everything ran correctly there would still be the massive delay we experienced getting to Naidex and there would still be the problem getting home, because the trains aren't equipped for several wheelchairs.

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook