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.
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!)
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.
It was about 10:25am, I'm supposed to be at Headway by 10:30am but I wasn't seen until 10:20am for my 10:00am appointment. As the doctor's surgery is about a fifteen minute ride on my iM.4 Elite from Easy Living Mobility I thought I could make it, along with my usual stop at Starbucks.
Ring Ring 📞
Me: Hello. Annmarie: Hello, are you coming in today? Me: Yes, I've been at the doctor's, I'm on my way now. Annmarie: OK, where are you now? Me: Just by Mill Street, I'll be there shortly Annmarie: Great, we'll wait for you then, you're about five minutes away? Me: Five or ten. Wassup? Annmarie: We're going to Laser Tag Me: .......................
My silence wasn't because I disliked Laser Tag, I can't say I'd really thought about in the years since I'd become reliant on a wheelchair for my mobility. It's an able bodied person's game. I associate it with people who can walk unaided. My silence was a substitute for a phrase that has become my catchphrase. I'M IN A WHEELCHAIR! But Annemarie's answer is always along the lines of "that doesn't mean you can't do it. Just try it" Knowing that would be her response I decided not to utter a word.
I got to Headway and everybody was waiting for me. We set off straight away without even asking if I wanted a few minutes rest. Rude! It was only a ten minute walk to Ten Pin and - get this - I didn't run into anyone or anything!
There's No Backing Out Now
The Briefing Room
The staff at Ten Pin didn't think there'd be any problems playing in a wheelchair. "I'll show them" I thought, let's see if they have that attitude at the end when there's wheelchair shaped dents in their walls and scrapes and scuffs everywhere. We were split into two teams and told to make our way into the briefing room. We went through a door into a corridor that was slightly wider than the wheelchair and a ninety degree right turn into The Briefing Room. No scrapes or scuffs yet.
On either side of the room were vests and guns for the two teams - red and green. It was handed to me as they were higher than I could reach. There is a target on the front and back of the vest for the opposing team to aim at. Unfortunately the back target on my vest was covered by the backrest of the wheelchair. I tried draping the back of the vest over the backrest, but it was too tight to my body to stretch like that. Oh well, I'll just have to play with this unfair advantage. What a shame... The gun has two handles and is held by both hands, but people generally don't have to ride around the arena and have both hands free.
Don't Try This At Home
We went into the arena which had the lights on at the moment. And what I saw was basically the most inaccessible maze imaginable. It was designed to give you things to hide behind and there wasn't one straight wall, presumably to make it harder to shoot somebody if they're constantly zig zagging and turning corners.
The two teams went to their respective bases, the lights went off (well, they dimmed down considerably so that it was harder to see) and my team started moving to the other side of the arena.
Rookie Mistake
To get into the base I had driven in forwards, I could have just turned on a sixpence so I could drive forwards to get out. I'd driven straight in I thought, I'll just reverse back out, how hard can it be?
It turns out very hard when some joker puts a wall behind you! How? I thought, a wall didn't suddenly appear behind me, so somebody must have put it there. My eyes were taking there time to adjust to the lack of light, so craning my neck to see behind me was pointless. Fortunately my back target was hidden by the backrest of the wheelchair and nobody could get in front of me, so, if I was smart I could just stay here all day and I would win...It took me about three minutes of edging backwards and creeping forwards to get out. My eyes started to adjust to the light and I started to make out what was blocking me...nothing. There was a wall in front and behind me. I think being able to see where you're going is actually quite important.
Better Watch Out Tom Shaw Is About
Headway's post on Facebook
Now I was free I made my way over to the opposing team's base. Slowly...very slowly. I was pinging off walls like a pin ball machine, fortunately all the walls are black and now that the lights are off you can't see the scuffs and scrapes I must be leaving on the walls.
When I said earlier this was inaccessible, the lights were on. Now they were off I had absolutely no chance. I saw somebody up ahead and pushed forward with all the power of the iM4.Elite, but I suddenly stopped dead as I'd hit a wall. I was actually looking through a hole in an otherwise solid wall. I did have the advantage that anybody fleeing from me were exposed to me shooting them in the back. I also had the disadvantage that my eyes are crap! I thought I was pointing the gun at there target, but the red laser would appear on there shoulder.
When I was about 16 I had a job as a cleaner, I was asked to make a cup of tea...and, um. I didn't know how. I'd never made it as I didn't drink it, which led me to a sudden desire to have a cup of *drum roll*, coffee...I thought coffee would be more grown up, and I wanted to be all growed up 'n' that. It tasted like Satan had relieved himself into my mug. I also burnt my mouth. I was probably not as cautious as I should have been as I'm used to drinks that don't cause me 3rd degree burns when consuming them, so I took to big a gulp.
Ever since I have been of the opinion that anybody who drinks hot drinks is a mentalist.
As a man in his 40s now, I thought I'd give it a go again. Not drinking tea/coffee was giving me FOMO as people always seem to be going for a coffee and a natter or it provides a topic of conversation that I can't join in on.
Starbucks
A friend of mine always goes to the Starbucks drive thru and recommended I try a medium caramel, de-caffenated (as she knows I'm a weakling that will likely spontaneously combust if I have caffeine) with coconut milk.
I saw this as an opportunity to review a few of the coffee shops around Stafford. By review I mean I would look at the few minor things that affected me. I decided I would try 3 of them; Starbucks, Cafe Nero and Coffee #1. I got onto my trustee steed (iM4.Elite from Easy Living Mobility)to try Starbucks first.
Well, it didn't start well. The door is manual, the door is heavy. I had to pull it towards me whilst moving backwards in my wheelchair, something that is a struggle, unless a kind person see's my struggle and comes to help me. The actual shop floor is slightly higher than the entrance, but there is an easy to navigate ramp. At least they've considered accessibillity when you get inside at least.
Next was ordering a coffee.
The counter was extremely high, if you were around five foot I'd imagine you'd be straining to see over. My sitting height is considerably under five foot, so I sat there unnoticed until another customer appeared that could be seen over the counter, and the server then noticed I was waiting. I gave my order - reading the order I'd been given word for word, hoping I wasn't being hazed.
"This might have been the
coffee equivalent of telling
an apprentice to go shopping
for tartan paint"
The payment point was out of my reach and was stuck down, so it couldn't be handed to me. I handed my card over and the server had to pay for me.
The verdict *shrugs shoulders* meh...It was ok I suppose. It didn't burn my face hole, which I always find encouraging, but it didn't taste particularly cofee-ee. Granted, I don't really know what it should taste like, but I am an absolute chocaholic and my favourite chocolate is Thorntons dark chocolate Coffee Cream. This didn't taste remotely like that. So I'm concluding it's not really coffee. Maybe it was because it was de-caffeineted. Or, maybe it was the coconut milk.
Tick the box
While I was here I used Starbucks' toilets. Actually just before I talk about that, I want to mention/moan about; I was at an Indian Restaurant reecently and they said they were wheelchair accessible.
They weren't.
There were several red flags to these claims, but they were issues that could be kind of justified. Some people feel wheelchair accessible is just a box that needs ticking. Convenience or comfort aren't considered, they are only interested in ticking the box. However, there was no disabled loo. This is more than a red flag. In my opinion this would mean the restaurant isn't wheelchair accessible, but they might argue that the lack of a toilet doesn't stop me accessing it, so... In other words, we've ticked the box, stop moaning.
I wish people would be honest about the restrictions rather than just saying "yes". They may have got my money on that occasion but I won't return.
Anyway Starbucks did have a disabled toilet. The door was left partially open so there was no door handle to navigate - not an issue for me but that may be a difficulty for others. The room was plenty big enough to put my wheelchair side on in front of the toilet, retract the arm and transfer on to the loo.
I have been in many disabled toilets that are barely wide enough to fit the wheelchair in at all, let alone put it side on and retract the arm.
I left Starbucks with the intention of heading for Cafe Nero but I got side tracked as I neared Masovia Craft Bakery. I remembered seeing a post on The Staffordshire Spotter promoting the bakery and the pictures looked amazing, I just had to try out the cakes. Oh and they served coffee. I mustn't forget the coffee, that is the purpose of this reconnaissance mission. I headed in to order a piece of Black Forest gateau. Oh and I tried a cappuccino aswell.
*Note to self: must not forget I'm here for coffee*
What arrived... Holy Shirt Balls! A slab of cake almost as big as the plate it was on arrived. It was as tall as the accompanying cappuccino. How was the accompanying cappucino I hear you ask?
meh...It was ok I suppose.
But the cake! I remember Black Forest gateau when I was a kid and nothing comes close to my memory. It had real cherry's and thick cream on top. the chocolate sponge, unmistakenly, tasted of chocolate. This cake meant that I didn't have to rely on my memories of this long lost gem.
I wasn't understanding this obsession with coffee though. Cappucino at least tasted more like coffee than the one I ordered in Starbucks and I hadn't burned my face hole again. Maybe this achievement answers the question "am I grown up?"
Yes, yes I am..
The doors into the bakery were open, so I didn't have a similar issue getting in, but I did notice that the doors open outward and were similar to the glass door at Starbucks. The bakery itself is quite large, but there isn't much floorspace. A lot of the space is taken by the counter and displays of cakes, breads, doughnuts etc. To the right of the counter there are a series of tables stretching the length of the shop, each with 3 chairs surrounding them. I didn't see any toilets, I suspect they were at the top of the shop where the walkway narrowed and I'm not sure the wheelchair could fit.
Next up was Cafe Nero. Guess what? I was presented with a heavy glass door that opens outwards. Guess what else? I struggled to open it and relied on the shop assistant to help me out. I ordered a cappucino again but this time with a sprinkling of Cinnamon. The paying point was out of my reach again, but it could be detached from its holder and handed down to me. How was the cappucino I hear you ask?
meh...It was ok I suppose.
The cinnamon gave it a nice taste at first but it still didn't make the cappucino a favourite of mine.
The final stop would be Coffee Number 1. I came across Coffee Number 1 when I went to hear Charlotte Faulconbridge on her book tour for her book 'Too High To Function". It's about dealing with visible and hidden disabilities, which she speaks about with a lifetime of experience in one form another.
The coffee shop always stuck in my mind because it reminded me of Central Perk in Friends. There were tables and chairs but there was also a couch and arm chairs and acres of space. There was lots of floor space and masses of room between tables, so I presumed there was a decent level of privacy from prying ears.
Coffe Number 1 isn't part of a chain, it's an independent coffee shop. Unfortunately it too had the industry standard anti wheelchair doors. But once inside there is acres of room, it's very quiet, the atmosphere is very serene, it gives off pleasent vibes straight away. There is music playing, but it's background music, allowing you to have quiet conversations. There are a great selection of cakes, the payment point is low enough for me to use and I wasn't kept waiting until I was spotted. I ordered a piece of caramel shortbread to accompany my cappucino. I'm still not convinced by cappucino, but then I'm not convinced by coffee at all, the promise of cakes is what will keep me coming. It was probably my favourite cappucino so far, there was quiite a lot of froth on the top which suits me fine, it doesn't taste of coffee.
Out of the four coffee shops I think this is my favourite. Once I'd navigated the doors, I enjoyed every aspect of it. Mainly the large amount of floor space and the fact the tables were quite far apart.
I came back a few days later with a friend. No more FOMO for me! This boy is all grown up. Granted I had hot chocolate instead of coffee and the lemon drizzle cake might have made it more appealing, but swings and roundabouts.
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