Wheelchair seats? Sure, they're right at the back

Opera House, Manchester

I have just finished listening to Neil Warnock's audiobook 'The Gaffer: The Trials and Tribulations of a Football Manager.' Conveniently, he then appeared on a couple of podcasts I listen to, promoting some live shows he's doing in which he's even more unfiltered than he's been in the past, as he's now retired and can say what he likes. He was doing a show at the Opera House in Manchester, which isn't a million miles from where my brother Daniel lives. Daniel recommended the book to me in the first place, I didn't want to go on my own, and I was sure he would go with me. The Gods were smiling down on me it seemed and urging me to go, and if there's one rule I've always lived my life by it's DON'T PISS OFF THE GODS. so with confirmation that Daniel wanted to go as well, I headed over to atgtickets.com to book the tickets.

Access card

I've used this site several times before and if you have an account and an Access Card (as I do), your requirements are already selected when you view the site. As you can see from the picture, I have three requirements:

Level Access
For people who require wheelchair accessible facilities or have to have level access as they are unable to make even a few steps.

Distance
If you have difficulty moving yourself more than short distances

Essential Companions
This symbol is awarded to people for whom it would be significantly difficult to access services without support from another person.

I logged into the website and when I went to the event to book a seat. It says

access membership benefits applied

atgtickets.com seating plan

I was suspicious. A large amount of the 1,920 capacity are wheelchair accessible? Really?

Normally there is an option to filter just wheelchair access seats. There was no help on screen and no guidance as to how to use their search filter. There might not be any wheelchair seats available, but I could use any seat, providing I can get my wheelchair close to it. I gave them a call.

Me: I'm on your site looking to book tickets for Neil Warnock on Friday 29th August. I'm logged in but it's allowing me to buy most tickets. I'm in a wheelchair.

I went to the Utilita Arena to see Roger Waters in 2023 and there were lots of wheelchair seats. In fact there was a whole viewing platform incredibly close to the stage. That was a several thousand seating arena though, this was a twentieth century theatre, built the same year as the Titanic sank. Understandably wheelchair access is limited without making significant modifications to an existing building. But I think there could be an icon on the search filter saying wheelchair seats are unavailable.

Them: Both wheelchair seats are taken Me: Both? Them: Yes, I'm afraid there's only two seats in that theatre Me: Oh, well is there an aisle seat I can book? Them: There are steps to every other seat. Me: Oh. I'm logged in on my account and your site is allowing me to book any seat. I have an access card that clearly says I'm a wheelchair user.

She checked my account and saw that I wasn't registered as a wheelchair user on their system. Clearly it's been removed in error as my access card states that I am in a wheelchair. There is no way to view what requirements are attributed to my account however, I just have to trust that they have the correct requirements and are not allowing me to purchase tickets I can't use. Otherwise I could book any seat in that theatre, travel upto Manchester only to find I have to climb stairs to get to my seat.

Them: oh sorry your account wasn't showing you required wheelchair access, it is now.

atgtickets.com seating plan

what you actually want is a seat with a wheelchair symbol on it which are few and far between.

I couldn't find an example as most of the performances seemingly have wheelchair seats.

This is 13 Going on 30 on Friday October 10th. As you can see, there is one seat available. 

I can completely understand the want to reduce the amount of wheelchair seats purely for cost. But couldn't the government subsidise the theatre so that the customer still pays less, but the government pay the rest. Then the theatre won't miss out on the revenue.

I happened to be browsing aroound Facebook 1 day when I saw an advert for a performance by John Cleese talking about Fawlty Towers. It was at Manchester Albert Hall, which isn't a million miles away from my brother, Daniel etc.

These tickets were from seetickets.com. The sites not as interactive but it does offer wheelchair access. No doubt because the limited amount alloted were still available. I phoned up to arrange for a companion to attend with me and the lady on the other end of the phone was fantastic. She sorted it all out for me and kept apologising as it's an old building and they've done the best they can.

She set it all up and I recieved a confirmation e-mail:

This was a very much appreciated confirmation. I didn't feel like an after thought for once. The venue hadn't done the bare minimum to allow them to tick a box to say there's wheelchair access. The confirmation was hand written and she excused what I'm sure is going to be a nice experience.

Wheelchair Worries - Range anxiety

iM.4 Elite

I’m still unsure about the claimed ten mile range of my iM.4 Elite wheelchair. It’s quite an ambiguous claim. If they said it lasts for six hours, then one would know for definite how long it will last. They can’t say that though because you will likely travel on differing terrains, you’ll go up and down hill, you’ll go over bumps, you’ll stop and start repeatedly. I could go on, but you get the point.

So, as we are having uncharacteristically great weather at the moment and like I said in a previous post "I don't like to drive in the rain." As it's not likely to rain at the moment I've arranged to go and see my friend Helen Lawson who runs her business from Beaconside Business Village. I have got an appointment to see her in her proffesion as a psychic/healer/reiki master at the end of the month, but it might be raining then. Sorry, I'll rephrase. It's England so it WILL be raining then. According to the AA route planner it's 3.2 miles away, which is ten minutes in a car. So 3.2 miles there and back is 6.4 miles. I'm sure I will ride around a bit when I get there, and it is quite a large area - Beaconside Business Village is what was Stafford University - and I will have to travel a very small distance to get to the starting point. So let's call it a 7  mile round trip. That should leave me 3 miles of juice in the battery. 

Plenty?

Hmm, I was doubtful. I wasn't sure if I would make it back home. So, wearing a cap for sun protection from that orange thing in the sky, a long sleeve top because I'm too lazy to put sun screen on, a bottle of water and Mark Bates insurance on speed dial (as I get roadside recovery with my insurance). I set off, knowing I may well fail. Don't try this at home unless you're a super brave boy like me. 

Not all heroes wear capes 💪

See what I did there? I've split the video into two parts, thus upping the anxiety and maintaining your interest. Unless of course:

1. You really couldn't care less 
2. You're really annoyed you've just wasted five and a half minutes of your life watching this drivel
3. You were only vaguely interested. You were just hoping to see me stranded at the side of the road, you're not interested enough to watch a second video
   

This first part of the journey was completed in about an hour and forty minutes. I could have gone there and back ten times in a car. I don't recommennd this mode of transport over the auto-mobile. As an alternative to it, the iM.4 Elite was perfectly comfortable in that it could handle the mild terrain it had to deal with. You do have to keep your wits about you as the angle of the ground can dictate the direction of the chair, and sometimes you're in terrain where the back wheels just spin rather than change your direction. As I've said previously, the weight of this chair is the sweetspot. 26kg is still quite light, but still heavy enough for acceptable use while still light enough to fold up and store in the boot of the car. It really does give me a level of independence as I can catch any taxi and most busses or trains. Apparantly it's airline friendly, although I'm yet to test that. I can't comment on the comfort of the cushion as I replaced the thin memory foam cushion it comes with for a thick gel cushion. For the brief time I sat on it, my right leg started to go numb, but that could well just be me.

Helen took me on a quick tour on the way upto the Emerald Lounge. You can see that everywhere is flat with thin pile carpet, wide corridors, wide doors I can easily get my wheelchair through. Disabled toilets on each level. Lift access and (the all important feature), a fully accessible lounge. It also has a cafe, gym, live events area and conference/exhibition areas.

The eagle eared amongst you will notice that Helen has an eerily similar voice to the person that read a section of my book - Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons - Available now on Amazon. Anyway, back to the action. After a non-alcoholic Koppaberg (I'm not a very good driver sober! Imagine if I had some alcohol in my system.) I started the drive back.

We pick up the action when I am about a mile and a half from home. I realisee what was quite a dull video before is only going to get duller. However we rejoin the action as the wheelchair is bleeping at me. Constantly. Freaking bleeping! Who wouldn't wanna see that?It's like an annoying child repeatedly poking you in the side and tellling you the same thing, over and over and over again.

Will I make it? I know, I know. This. Is. EXCITING!

@fatpigeonsbook

@fatpigeonsbook