I still wanted to try more wheelchairs, I was going to be paying a significant amount of money for something that I would have for a long time...hopefully. I thought I'd found a similar deal with Mobility Hire that I had with Easy Living Mobility I.E I could loan a chair, but that price went up considerably from the £93.00 visible on the website to £373.20...up again to £487.20 when delivery is added.
EeZeeGo LW1 Lightweight Folding
Back to Google I go, but this time to look for a company who will allow me to hire the chair for a reasonable price. Step up EzeeGo. They have a great website with a good selection of new, used and 'for hire' wheelchairs. I liked the look of LW1 Lightweight Folding Electric Wheelchair it was 24kg - 2kg lighter than the Etech and Easy Living Mobility. It only had 10 inch wheels - 2.5 less than the other 2 - and plain plastic castor wheels on the front. Only the Etech had tread on the front wheels, I'm not sure if that makes any difference or is important, but this is my blog my rules and I say it is important.
EeZeeGo buying options
'Worth a shot' I thought. I chose the option to hire it for 2 weeks. That was going to be £100...EH? hang on, it clearly says "available to hire from only £30.77", but the option to rent it for that price doesn't come up. The cheapest option is £100 for 2 weeks. Now I'm no math genius but I'm pretty sure that's £50 a week, not the £30.77 advertised. The most expensive option is £400 for 3 months, which works out at £33.33. So it seems to be impossible to rent it for as cheap as they claim. I chose the cheapest options:
Hire term: 2 weeks £100 Delivery option: Standard delivery £59 Security deposit: Refundable security deposit £250 Total: £409
£409! for 2 weeks! I could buy a chair from Etech for £845.50.
It doesn't seem like renting is a very cost effective option. I returned to Google and found a mobility showroom in Stoke - CareCo. They sell everything - mobility scooters, wheelchairs, motorised wheelchairs, walking aids, recliners and walking aids. I booked an Uber and made the 30 minute trip to hopefully take a few wheelchairs for a spin.
I had no idea this place was so close by. The showroom was deceptively big and all one level. The walkways' were very wide and everything was nicely spaced out so you could see each product up close. They welcomed me in and once they found out what I was after, took me to their selection of motorised wheelchairs.
The first chair I tried was the Zora. It was made from carbon fibre and weighed 13kg or 2 stone. My cumbersome, hard to move, lard-arse manual wheelchair is only 12kg. Does that mean mine is carrying a lot of weight or the Zora is freakishly light? The latter. The website boasts that it is "The lightest powerchair in the world". It's carbon fibre price tag illustrated this, £2,500...add another £500 VAT on top of that.
It was quite a small chair and the arm felt quite flimsy when I was transferring from my chair into it. The rear wheel size is only 11 inches and the front wheel is only 6 inches, and all four were similar in how painfully thin they were. It's like the wheels were tip-toeing, barely connecting with the floor. I gave it a whirl, but there was nowhere other than the flat smooth shop floor and the incredibly smooth car park to put it through its paces. I'm fairly sure if I faced a piece of gravel I would have to go round it. If I tried to run over it I might be in danger of having to buy the Zora because of irreversible damage.
I tried the Stratus powerchair while I was there. It reminded me of the Freedom A06 I borrowed first. It was fairly substantial looking, it only weighed 17kg (2.7 stones) someway below the 'sweet spot'. The back wheels were 11inch and the font 7, they were asking £1,699 and another £340 VAT. It wasn't looking hopeful so I took it for a spin around the store to give it a 'thorough' testing. This place sold everything!
It wasn't going to be selling this wheelchair though. The wheelchairs were too light and too expensive.
Look out for the final part 'My quest to get a motorised wheelchair part IV'
Now that I'd had the chair for a week I reported my findings to Aby at Easy Living Mobility. Thanks to this loan I knew more about what I wanted now and I was fairly sure the Freedom A06 wasn't it. I told her how I didn't seem to have much control over its direction at times. I was feeling fairly downbeat, I was bothered that foldable wheelchairs just weren't going to be heavy enough to give me decent traction, and that was a major problem. Aby told me that the lighter a wheelchair, the less it sticks to the road, but - as she mentioned over the phone a few days ago - she wanted to show me the iM.4 Elite. Aby was sure it was ideal for my needs. It's their own brand and not available in any other stores. It was still light enough to pick up at 24.6kg or 3.87stone (at its lightest), but it had bigger wheels and much better suspension.
Freedom A06 vs iM.4 Elite
It was on display currently so I couldn't give it a go, but its bigger brother (Voyager) was available to try around the store and car park. It was identical in every way but had got Increased Tensile Aluminium Frame whereas the Elite has Lightweight Aircraft Quality Aluminium Frame.
I zoomed around outside (actually I crept around on the lowest speed setting). Aby was walking beside me, there were many unscratched cars parked around, I thought having it on the lowest speed setting would limit the potential of me inflicting damage.
It felt brilliant. It felt grippy and sturdy. The outside of the shop might not have been Millbrook test track but it was handy for testing the chair. There were drop curbs and the path had crumbled getting down to it. The Freedom A06 would have slid towards and the tyres would have struggled to get traction on the gravel. Not the iM.4 Voyager/Elite. To get from the path to the road I had to cross some cobbled tiles/paving slabs, which it handled without any problem. There were a few cracks and divots in the road, which the chair had no problem going over. I drove it outside for a couple of minutes and returned to the shop. Granted, it wasn't much of a test, but I knew what I was looking for now. Either the iM4.Elite was what all chairs I tested from now on were going to be like or this was going to be a class leader. I was thoroughly impressed.
I wanted to test some more chairs before making my decision.
My current wheelchair
A lot of the results were from companies selling online only, or if they had a store it was a long way away. For example mobility extra were advertising the Ultra Light Folding Electric Wheelchair. It's only 18.5kg or two stone one pound. My current wheelchair is 12kg or one stone nine pounds. Mobility Extra had got a store, but it is in Essex. Their website has got a chat function, so I asked some questions. The response is pretty quick and it's a human not a bot, so they do actually answer what you ask, rather than saying "I don't understand, did you mean..."
Me:if I wanted to try before I buy, but can't get to Essex, am I be able to arrange a short term loan? Them:You can take advantage of our 14 day return policy. We can ship the chair to you so you can check it meets your needs in the comfort of your own home. As long as the chair has not been damaged or used extensively outdoor we will accept a return and full refund. We can arrange the return process and collection for you so it’s hassle free. Them:We can’t offer a loan ourselves but you can use Klarna or PayPal credit at our checkout. Me:so I would have to pay full price and risk not being able to return it if I use it outdoors? Them:Yes, you will have to pay. You can test it outdoors as long as it doesn’t get any damage. Some wear in the tyres is fine.
MX-Air from Mobility Extra
They do have a fourteen day returns policy, but it makes me nervous paying full price and relying on them to deem it acceptable for refund. That wasn't quite what I had in mind. I like the idea of having a store nearby and I'm not great at geography, but I'm fairly sure Essex isn't nearby.
Back to Google I went! Etech Mobility seemed like a very good option. Their prices were ludicrously low, which made me think they were on-line prices only. They had an online chat that connected me to a human straight away who told me that they have a showroom in Birmingham where I could make an appointment to try some wheelchairs. I can certainly get to Birmingham, but it's not exactly local.
Me:Are the prices on your website (for example:Lightweight Electric Wheelchair | Folding Powerchair | Freedom Pro ST) cheaper than if you buy instore? Them:It will be still the same.
They have got 4.8 out of 5 based on 495 reviews. A little concerning...why haven't they got five? (Imagine a sarcastic tone when you read that). At these prices, the distance didn't seem to be much of an issue. I made an appointment to try out a few chairs. I really liked the look of Limited Edition Purple Lightweight Electric Wheelchair | Freedom Pro ST at £997.50. Unfortunately they hadn't got the limited edition purple in stock, but they had got it in blue. The only difference being the blue one was £152 cheaper! Suddenly I didn't particularly like the purple colour as much.
Etech is on a business park so it's very similar terrain to what I'd be using it on. I was really impressed with it. It felt brilliant, the steering wasn't too sensitive and the joystick control was switched for a golf ball shaped control, which I found much easier to hold, my hand would rest in that position. It became awkward and tiring to hold the stick. There were a few divets in the tarmac which the chair went over with barely any bump. This had large (12inch) puncture proof tyres on the back and smaller (8inch) tyres on the front, but these front tyres had tread on them. The Freedom A06 had 10 inch puncture proof tyres on the back and 8inch plastic castors on the front. It was substantial in size, it engulfed me, I looked like the Freedom A06 was too small for me. I looked out of place sitting in it, like I had squeezed into it. It weighs 26kg which is 3kg heavier than the Freedom A06 but my brother was with me who managed to pick it up without any issue.
He had brought out the Automatic Folding Lighweight Electric Wheelchair Freedom Elite AF which at the touch of a button would fold itself up. Ideal for storage I thought, It wouldn't have to take up so much space in my house when I'm not using it. Plus it looked cool! And that's the important thing, it was like a transformer. Unfortunately it was a transformer who needed to go to weight watchers. It was 28kg and my brother - upon lifting it - felt it was probably too heavy. Around 26kg seemed to be the sweet spot. I didn't try that one, but I did try its little brother. It wasn't a transformer, but it was sporting Etech's Luxury Leather Seat Cover, an optional extra at £84.99.
I wasn't a fan of this at all. The control was far too sensitive. It was heavier than the Freedom A06 but it triggered my PTSD again from not confidently being able to control it. I was having the old zig zag problem and the slightest touch of the stick seemed to overcorrect too much, when I was intending to adjust the direction a little bit. The tyres didn't have tread on them either, they were like plastic shopping trolley castors. I don't know if this made much difference, but I felt I was now an expert in motorised wheelchairs and saw this is a major flaw.
I said my thankyou's and told him I'd let him know as I wanted to try some more wheelchairs before I decide.
There is Mobility Hire in Tewkesbury. They offer a huge range of products like bathroom aids and walking aids as well as motorised wheelchairs. They do have a showroom but it is over an hour away. There is the advantage that you can hire all products on a temporary basis however.
I liked the look of the Erivo, it looked quite substantial and looked like it could handle the local mean streets easily. It is 28kg though (4.4stones) and slightly above my sweet spot, whereas the Dashi Eco Foldable Powerchair is only 23kg (3.6stones). The Dashi was available for £93.00pw. They were a bit far away to purchase from but I could at least rent a chair to try for a week. I started orrdering it and the cost quickly increased, within a few clicks it was asking me for £373.20!
Me: I've gone through the buyimg process for the Dashi Eco Foldable but stopped before purchasing as it was going to cost £373.20 not the £93.00pw advertised? It's ordering for 2 weeks, I only want it for 1. I realise a £150 returnable deposit and VAT is included in this, but an extra £280 isn't right surely? Them: Our minimum rental charge is for two weeks, so the online ordering will default at the minimum two. You are welcome to have the Powerchair for a shorter amount of time, but the minimum rental charge will remain. Me: Can I pickup and return the chair myself? That would take £95 off the cost and with the return of the security deposit, that would be a total of £245 off. Them: Please find below the revised quotation to include customer delivery/collection: Minimum two weeks hire of Dashi Eco Foldable Powerchair: £186.00 Security Deposit: £150.00 Customer Collection: £0.00
Customer Return: £0.00 Total Costings: £336.00(ex VAT)
Look out for part III 'My quest to get a motorised wheelchair'
My current wheelchair has its limits, granted, the main limit is the idiot that's sitting in it, but if I don't have much input on propelling the chair, then it doesn't matter. Unless I drive into someone. Or something. Either are likely but we'll cross that bridge if/when we come to it.
I searched Google for 'mobility Stafford' on the off chance there was a local store. There was! About fifteen minutes away. Easy Living Mobility. They deal mainly with motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters as well as walking aids like rollators and furniture like Rise & Recline Chairs. Most importantly they had people I could talk to, to help me with where to start in knowing which motorised wheelchair is right for me. I had spoken to Nathan on the phone and made an appointment to come and see him. I then phoned Community Link and ordered a wheelchair taxi.
Freedom A06
We sat down (well he did, I already was) and I took out my mobile phone so I could record our conversation. I felt like some important journalist who was interviewing people about the pros and cons of motorised wheelchairs. He probably thought I was some spotty school leaver who was playing 'big boy journalist'. I'm probably older than him though, so not so much spotty school leaver but bearded grizzled middle aged forty-two year old man playing 'big boy journalist'.
He asked me about budget, what I was looking for, speed, range etc and I answered quite vaguely. I wasn't being difficult, actually I probably was, but not on purpose. I didn't really know where to start as I wasn't sure what I wanted or needed. The only help I offered was it needed to be lightweight and foldable so it can be transported in the boot of a car. Oh and it only needed to handle suburban terrain like footpaths and roads.
I had noticed that many of the wheelchairs said 'try before you buy' on the website. He said that means you can try the chair in the shop and outside the shop before you buy it. I explained I was keen to take it home and try it for about a week, I wanted to use it multiple times and over several days to see what it's comfort was like. I didn't want to buy something that will give me aches and pains after a few days use. He had a Freedom A06, which was an ex display model that I could take home and try for ten pounds a day, and a security deposit in case I drive it into things.
As if I would do that!
With the same knowledge and expertise I offered earlier, I gave it a thorough testing (I took it for a very brief spin in the shop), deemed it acceptable handed over my security deposit and phoned my Dad to pick up me and my growing family of two foldable wheelchairs.
How to fold
The Freedom A06 was indeed lightweight - 22.8kg at its lightest, or three stone six pounds - I have learnt that at its lightest means excluding batteries and cushion - a range of nine miles per battery with the capacity for two lithium batteries and a top speed of 4mph or 6.5kph. The range is a best case scenario and many things like uneven terrain, inclines, and rough surfaces can reduce the distance a wheelchair can travel on a single charge. It folds up incredibly easily, there is a clip on the back of the chair that you open and then you can easily fold it with very little effort.
I wasn't what you would call a natural when it came to driving it. My spacial awareness is terrible. I thought I could judge where the sides of the wheelchair were. I couldn't. I'm sure the chair widened by about an inch when it was near something I could bump into.
I hadn't driven since 2009, which is suspicious because I had my operation in 2007. I may have tried driving in a car park to see if the bit of brain they removed was important. Seemingly it was.
I dumped my manual chair in the house for the newer sexier model, to use around the house to try and get used to the control. I was constantly bumping into walls and the door frames were barely wide enough to get through. This chair wasn't any wider than my manual, but I was nervous of scuffing this one and losing my security deposit. As you can tell from the door frames around my house, I'm not so careful normally. After about an hour I was back begging my manual for forgiveness and telling it I'd made a terrible mistake. I decided to only use the new sexier one outdoors.
It was incredibly tricky to get around where the space is limited. E.g. Most of the footpath is taken up by an overgrown bush. It would be too close to the bush so I would tap the control 'right', but it would be heading for the road now. My attempts to correct it would cause it to go towards the bush again.
It was quite quick. There are about six speed settings to choose from, the sixth setting unleashes the full might of the 200W brushless motor. However, after almost crashing into a wall previously, I left it on setting two, which offers around one third of the available power.
Over the next few days I drove it a few times to and from my parents house with my Dad walking beside me. I didn't feel safe in it. The controls were far too sensitive, it was impossible to go in a straight line. I would zig zag to get to a destination straight in front of me. It's direction seemed to be dictated by the terrain. I would be driving along the path just minding my own business, when the direction of the front wheels would suddenly turn towards the drop curb, even though I immediately pointed the joystick away from the drop curb, it would seem to have no effect until I was dangerously close to the road.
Assuming my years of not being in control of anything that moves was the issue, I practiced driving around my estate. No matter how slow I drove, I still struggled to precisely control it, the sensitivity meant it would turn if you simply thought about tapping the stick. There was a small path that took me out by the main road. Feeling brave, I drove out to the main road. For comical effect I pretended the cars scared me. Honest, it was pretend.
My week loan was at an end and I took it back to Easy Living Mobility.
I'd already spoken to Aby a few days earlier over the phone and told her that I was struggling with the sensitivity and it's lack of stability and control. I'd only had it for a few days at this point though, so I was willing to accept my lack of experience/ability was to blame and would improve with practice. It didn't really improve though and I was pretty sure the wheelchair was the problem, not me. Aby had suggested the iM.4 Elite over the phone, it was much more suited to my requirements. It was on display at the moment but there was an identical model called iM.4 Voyager, the only difference being it can hold a passenger upto a weight of 28.5 stone or 181kg rather than the 21 stone or 133kg of the Elite...
Look out for part II 'My quest to get a motorised wheelchair'
This isn't strictly wheelchair worries. This is MZ worries. Who or what is MZ? I have my suspicions, but it is a tough code to crack, I don't want to say in case I'm wrong. This is a follow up to a previous post I wrote about having money stolen from me on Facebook's platform. My several months of trying to get a resolution through their customer 'support' and failing, to issuing legal action against Facebook through the small claims court and receiving a letter from their lawyers telling me this is nothing to do with Facebook but with Meta. I had to stop pursuing or they would counter sue me. I won't continue to re-tell this story. If you want to know more then read the post Can I Have My Money Back?
I don't expect to ever see my stolen money again.
I stopped pursuing my money there and then. It was for a relatively low amount and as far as I was concerned it was slam dunk case. In fact it was barely even a case I assumed the money would have been returned there and then. Sorry, I appear to be retelling it. I was listening to the episode Did Mark Zuckerberg steal Richard's books from The Rest is Entertainment podcast...Argh! Sorry. I've just given away who MZ is haven't I? Sorry, I hate it when people reveal spoilers. Oh well, I doubt you were going to crack that code on your own.
On this episode I heard that a russian database called LibGen holds texts of tens of thousands copies of published books without permission. Facebook's parent company Meta has decided to train its advanced Artificial Intelligence engine, Llama 3, using the text of these books, rather than suffer the inconvenience of paying for the copyrighted material.
Well, they are only worth an estimated $1.46trillion-dollars. The poor sods have barely got two cents to rub together.
It has been revealed that Meta looked into licensing these books from publishers and found it wasn't particularly cheap.. Nor was it going to be quick. In a leaked email chain somebody says "it's really really important to get these books ASAP". A reply says "I've spoken to publishers and this seems unreasonably expensive and incredibly slow." A reply then comes from the mysterious MZ figure. He gives the OK to scrape the very illegal database Libgen. Another message says "doing this on my company laptop feels a bit wrong", in response they are re-assured "it's alright MZ says it's ok."
How much of this multi-billion dollar wealth isn't theirs? They say you have to make money to earn money, it obviously doesn't matter how you make that money..
I ended my previous post with this. It's probably not a question that needs asking as the CEO... Sorry this mysterious MZ figure would rather knowingly mine the data from an illegal website, for his own commercial gain, which is going to significantly add to his trillion dollar wealth.
This has all been uncovered by an article in The Atlantic. Meta's response to this, it's fair use. Whatever Llama 3 does with this it will create something new and original. Isn't this one of the major worries with AI? If it's used improperly by the worst people - I.E Meta - it will cause major problems.
Meta are proving that if you're big enough and rich enough, laws mean nothing. They can break them, but to stop them they then hide behind the law and tie you up in court. They are untouchable and they know it. Or are they?
Has anybody thought of boycotting Facebook? All we need is the few billion users around the world to get on board... yea, they're untouchable actually.
Maybe if users around the world agree to not advertise on Facebook until I get my one-hundred-and-sixty odd quid back. There can only be a few hundred million of them!
So I've just wasted two minutes of your time by waffling on about an issue that is nothing to do with me or wheelchair worries.
I mentioned Community Link in a previous post and now that I've used them several times I thought I should write a post singing their praises and urge any wheelchair user in the Stafford area to use them.
Community Link has been a real game changer for me.
In my previous post I mentioned a few services that are available to us wheelchair folk. As I was writing it I was racking my brains as to how I go about using these services rather than just writing about them. It's been painfully obvious that I need to upgrade from my manual wheelchair to a motorised wheelchair for a while now, but to transport a motorised wheelchair, I'd need to use a wheelchair taxi. I can't self propel very well, in fact just getting to the end of my uneven drive is a chore. It has an ever so slight camber that causes the wheelchair to roll backwards, so the moment I release the wheel it starts to move backwards.
Being in a wheelchair means it's costly for organisations to provide for our needs. Understandably some just avoid it all together, some make a limited service but for a premium cost. Community Link is a fabulous charity and one that does actually earn money per fare. Granted, it needs funding to get off the ground, but it's a charity that is almost guaranteed to be profitable, as there are no shortage of wheelchair users all over the UK. Community Link do rely on the kindness of volunteers like Les. He is retired, but enjoys driving and likes to meet different people and help them. He is a great help to me. For example, now I can get a taxi to Specsavers to get my frames tightened...erm...I could get a lift into town...Er, sit in the middle of market square and feed the pigeons... I could even go to Stone, and, feed some more pigeons.
The possibilities are endless.
Since 2002 we have been a registered charity, with a mission to help anyone who has difficulty using public transport get out and about. Our 5 wheelchair accessible vehicles provide community transport services in the Stafford area and beyond.
So, it's a service that has been around for a long time, but isn't something I was aware of. Granted I didn't look very hard - a simple Google search "wheelchair taxi service in stafford" - yields a search result which tells you about Community Link. But if you're lazy like me, let me save you that effort.
They assume the role of carer from the moment they pick you up and do whatever you're incapable of doing yourself. As you're probably aware I am just one person, so I only need a smaller taxi, but there are other vehicles available as well.
A winch is attached to the front of the chair which gently pulls me on board. It then locks, holding me in position. Anchors are attached to the back wheels which are bolted in place. A seatbelt is then put around me which is also secured in place. Just for added peace of mind, I put my brakes on.
I'm secured in position, which is a good thing as Les is a nutter! I didn't realise you could pull wheelies in a car. I'm joking of course...you can't.
You need to be a member to use the service, but it's a simple form that takes three minutes to complete and asks un-complicated question like "Are you registered disabled?" "Do you have difficulty getting on an ordinary bus?" And "Do you require us to transport any additional medical equipment?"
Seriously any dummy could do it. And I did!
Now that I've got a taxi service I can use, I immediately booked a taxi to visit my local mobility store - Easy Living Mobility - a store I didn't even know was there. Check out their website. They seem to have as many stores as Tesco (this may be a slight exaggeration), so have a look and see which is closest to you.
I am now in possession of a motorised wheelchair to test, with a view to purchasing it. I thought it would be a doddle, as you can see from the video it isn't, I haven't been in charge of anything other than a manual wheelchair for quite some time. Maybe, that's for the best.
Keep posted for an update on my motorised wheelchair worries. in the mean time you could volunteer to be a Community Link driver.
I came across this video on YouTube about social prescribing. I'd never heard of social prescribing and thought you only went to the doctors for illness. But it reminded me that many years ago when I was younger and stupider (not much stupider, but I did bump into things more often), I thought "with all this free time, instead of just sitting in front of the telly, why don't I spend it getting in shape.
I'll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in no time." So I went to the doctors to see if there was a limit to how much I could exercise now that my situation was different. "Nope. Just take it easy, you haven't done any exercise in a long time. Oh and shelve your ambitions of looking like a former Mr Universe, you numpty." I can't be sure that's exactly how the conversation went, but I'm sure it's along those lines.
The doctor prescribed me exercise and handed me a prescription. Exercise on prescription allowed me to attend participating gyms for free. A new gym had just opened by me and was completely wheelchair accessible. As it turned out some of the exercise bikes had high backed seats, I would be able to cycle as much as I wanted. Unfortunately the bike was stationed directly in front of the telly, and my aspirations of becoming a mini Arnie hit a snag. At least my legs weren't completely immobile while I watched this television, but then I would get home and watch T.V while eating a pack of biscuits.
According to the video, every doctor's surgery has access to a social prescriber. "Well I bet mine doesn't" It did.
A social prescriber does exactly what it says on the tin, they prescribe social needs to people. I struggle first of all to get into social situations as it's difficult to get around. I am limited by what I can do and I've isolated myself because of my communication issues. Since I've been attending Andy's Man Club I've realised that my communication issues are largely in my head.
I made an appointment to see Michelle Cotterill, something that I recommend anybody in Stafford to do, and if you're not in Stafford then - as the video says - every doctor's surgery has access to it. She asked me what I wanted to get out of our appointment.
"I want to put myself in social situations again".
I seemed to exist to the NHS when my brain tumour was fairly recent. They had got me into rehab at Cannock Chase Hospital, rehab at Moor Green, Headway brain injury charity, but as time has gone on offers had dried up. I explained "I find it particularly difficult in groups where there's atmospheric noise, especially large groups or a room where there are several conversations and I have to raise my voice to be heard."
I liked the idea of using this blog as a reason to travel around. The best way to talk about accessibility is to experience it, but I didn't know how to do it without spending a fortune.
Disabled Persons Railcard
As I said previously, being in a wheelchair has its perks. One third off rail travel for twenty pounds for a year, or fifty-four pounds for three years sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Just make sure you have it with you when you travel. Describing where it is in your bedside table drawer isn't proof enough.You have to be able to prove you are in receipt of at least one of; Personal Independence Payments (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Child Disability Payment (CDP), have a visual impairment, have a hearing impairment, have epilepsy, receive Attendance Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance or Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP), receive War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement, receive War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability or, buy or lease a vehicle through the Motability scheme. If you need to be accompanied by somebody they will also receive the saving. There is always assistance on board if you require it, or you can book assistance. They can help you with a number of things, including:
offering a helping hand to navigate the station
help getting on or off the train
meeting you from your train and taking you to your next train or the exit
arranging a ramp on or off your train
assistance relating to a non-visible impairment
carrying your bag(s) – up to 3 items of luggage
You can't just fake a limp or show your friends Access Card with your thumb conveniently covering the photo ID though.
Access Card Oh, that reminds me, you should get an access card. This is 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 example - 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
Clockwise from top left: Level access, Essential Companions, Distance, Standing and queuing, Urgent Toilet Needs, Assistance Dogs, Audible Information, Visual information, Miscellaneous
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 - again, 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.
Okay, full transparency, this is only for travelling anywhere in the West Midlands. But it's cheaper than the railcard, in fact it's the best kind of cheap. Free! There is a restriction though - it's only free if you travel off peak (09:30 - 23:59), you're going to have to fork out £1.50 if you're an early riser. You can't just turn up to any bus though and demand free travel. You need to book on their website.
Just because you are disabled, doesn't mean you can't travel around the country. In fact you can do it for free.
Have I mentioned perks before?
You can apply for a disabled bus pass from your local council. Disabled bus passes are free although you will have to prove you have the disability you're claiming for. You might be asked to provide a copy of your motability rating from your PIP letter. You may be asked for confirmation by a medical expert. Your council should have a page on their website listing the requirements - For example visit the Stafford Council 'What categories of disability qualify for a disabled pass?'.
The length of time you can hold a pass without having to re-apply depends on your reason for applying. Some people are awarded it on a temporary basis, others permanently meaning you won't have to re-apply for four to five years. All public local bus services in England must be DDA compliant which means they must be wheelchair accessible. The capacity for having wheelchair passengers depends on the model of the bus and the model of the wheelchair(s).
For more information on bus passes in the Stafford area go to the website
Wheelchair taxis
These are an absolute pain to arrange. If you can get out of your chair and sit in the car and your wheelchair will fold up, you will be able to use a taxi service. I would recommend Westside Taxis if you are in the Stafford area. They have an app which has a notes section. This allows you to book the taxi without human interference. For anywhere else there's Uber. Both apps are similar in that you can choose the car size I.E 6 seater, 8 seater, saloon etc and leave notes for the driver I.E "I am a wheelchair user but can travel in the passenger seat. There must be room in the boot for my collapsible wheelchair." Alternatively if you have to stay in your wheelchair then a taxi service isn't for you. I have only found one taxi service that had a wheelchair taxi but you couldn't book it in advance. You had to phone on the day you required it, to check its availability. Not ideal if you've got a hospital appointment in a few days.
Community Link
You might be starting to spot a pattern here, but this is available in Stafford. They will go further afield into mid-staffordshire, but if you need to attend a doctors appointment and public transport is difficult for you, try this service. They provide a wheelchair-friendly transport service for people with mobility difficulties. They're a friendly bunch and there are vehicles specially equipped to help passengers with mobility needs, and if you need a carer to accompany you, they can join you free of charge. There is a small fee for each trip but it's certainly cheaper than a taxi. You must be a member, the membership form is very simple and quick to fill out. Once you've completed that you can book a wheelchair taxi to your heart's content.
They are always on the lookout for volunteer drivers and passenger assistants. If this is something you're interested in then click here.
Airport assistance
You can read about my experience with airport assistance here. It was brilliant and completely took the stress out of catching a plane. Once we had checked in, we went to a desk and were given a small electronic device that would bleep when we needed to come back to the desk ready to board. We were free to do what we wanted until then. We went and got breakfast and we were able to go in the empty special assistance lounge rather than the packed Weatherspoon's. When it was close to departure time, our electronic device beeped, and we were taken to the gate.
There was one problem here. The transport wasn't wheelchair friendly. People who had mobility issues got a lift. We walked behind, with my Dad pushing the wheelchair in the slip stream of the transport.
We were delivered to the gate, passed through security and were then taken to what looked like a mobile storage unit. A scissor lift lifted me up and I and the other special assistance customers had a small ride to the plane. The mobile storage unit got as close to the plane as possible so I could just wheel aboard.
For more information go to the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) website.
Bond Hotel, Blackpool
Hotel's sometimes declare a room as disable friendly to fulfill a legal responsibility, but the room is in no way appropriate. Take my experience in France for example. It was a lovely hotel, but it had clearly been designed for able bodied people. They thought that all they needed to do was put a couple of grab rails in and remove the shower screen to make it disabled friendly.
The Bond Hotel has been designed with the sole intention of making most rooms fully accessible. Most rooms have an en-suite wet room, widened doors, grab rails, lots of floor space, hoists, a wide range of mobility equipment available on request (and free of charge) and a 24-hour manned emergency call system. Their rooms are spread across three with a choice of single.
Their is a restaurant, bar and cabaret area inside the hotel - all fully accessible. They'll even help arrange your travel and pick you up from your house. As the hotel is in Blackpool there is plenty to see and do and pretty much all public transport is wheelchair accessible.
RADAR key I hate having to a use a toilet in a publicly used bathroom. Men are... sorry men can be, disgusting creatures. Having to sit on a toilet seat that men have tried to miss while aiming for the large hole in the middle, fills me with dread. All over the UK there are 10,000+ disabled toilets behind a locked door. You can only get an officially authorised RADAR key from here. The key is only available to National Disability and Carers Card holders which you can purchase from the site. This will to skip queues to use facilities that may not be clean or adapted to your needs. Some accessible countryside gates require a RADAR Key for access. They often feature an "H" frame with a rectangular enclosure for use by mobility scooters and wheelchair users.
Back in November, I thought, it's been quite a long time since my tumour, I should probably show my face and remind people I'm still alive. My insecurities and desire to avoid people, had just been a way to avoid life. But getting back into life isn't so easy after a long period of dodging it. I'm forty-two now, so I think that's mission accomplished, time for this old dog to learn some old (but new to him) tricks. Fortuitously, I received a text from my GP surgery. Their annual Community Mental Health Event was being held at Stafford Rangers Social Club. I'd been there a few times and knew it had excellent access. My main worry had already been dealt with, I knew it had wide corridors, smooth floors, a big function room and everything was on one floor.
As I had only been thinking about doing something like this for many minutes, had I manifested it? Or was it just pure coincidence? Probably the latter. If I were you, I wouldn't cancel those tickets for Paul McKenna's next tour. I think there's more to manifesting than just having a bit of a think.
I stuck to the idea of attending rather than making up some reason why I should take the easy way out and not go. I booked a taxi and then cancelled it immediately as my Dad said he could take me. We got to Stafford Rangers and Dad got out to get the chair and assumed I would expect him to push me around in there. "No thanks, I'd rather go in on my own". I said. I'd got my big boy pants on today! 💪
I wheeled myself in, self conscious of the fact that other people in wheelchairs seem to just glide along, giving the wheels a little push every few metres. I however, constantly correct my direction and stop the start like an old spluttering car.
Two women at the door greeted me and held the door open, told me to go along the corridor and turn right at the end. There was no issue of access. As I remembered, the floors were flat and smooth and the corridors were wide. I could just glide to the end of the corridor.
Could... but didn't.
Another woman greeted me at the door and told me there was a bar with refreshments to the left. I thanked her and went forth...before doubling back and asking her what do I do. I thought this was going to be a room of people all sitting in rows watching a talk/presentation or two. It wasn't. About fifteen charities had tables around the room with one or two people sat at them. You would talk to a charity that took your interest to get some further information.
I spoke to a few charities, but they wanted me to go for an interview and then wait to see if I'd been selected. Like I'd just applied to college. I didn't like how formal this was, I didn't like that I had to audition and if they deemed me worthy of help, I could attend. Katherine House Hospice were here as well. It was one of the first tables I encountered on my circuit. I was reading the information on the table, just being nosey, when I was approached. "Can I help you?" I knew what table I was at and fortunately, had no need for it. I didn't tell him that straight away though and had a chat, I didn't feel comfortable telling him "no thanks" . I thought Katherine House was a small charity that offered end of life care to a select few. It's actually a large charity that has two-hundred employees and six-hundred volunteers. They have a therapy and wellbeing clinic, a lymphoedema clinic, end of life care. It costs them about four million pounds a year, a lot of which is from donations. They rent space in many shops around Staffordshire where you can donate furniture. It's a big machine and a very worthwhile cause. Katherine House Hospice.
One of the first tables I came across was Andy's Man Club. The design of their station caught my attention. It was black with a hand in white making the ok sign. I stopped and a guy came out to talk to me. They are a group of men that meet up every Monday at Stafford Rugby Club for a couple of hours and gives you the chance to chat to a group of people who are all there for the same reason - to talk. I asked how many people go and he said it varies week by week but it could be as many as sixty. Whoah, that's quite a lot I thought. Straight away I was thinking about what it would be like to enter a room where sixty people all turn and look as I slowly wheel into the room, my wheelchair stopping and starting, constantly changing direction. My imagination was was running riot. I started trying to make my excuses for not going. "I don't think people will be able to understand me, I said" "We're chatting now and I have no difficulty in understanding you," he replied "I don't know if I feel comfortable talking in front of that many people." "There is no obligation to talk, you can just listen and socialise in the breaks. Some weeks I don't say anything, but last week I had a lot to get off my chest and you couldn't shut me up."
So he was a volunteer who attends these meetings himself? He handed me a flyer and I said I'd go.
And I intended too. And I did.
The first rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club. Oops sorry.
Same first rule, different club.
The first rule of Andy's Man Club is you don't talk about Andy's Man Club.
I shocked us both and kept to my word. Stafford Rugby Club kindly allow us the use of their facilities. There is loads of parking. There's even lots of disabled spaces which a lot of the time are left free, although there is rugby practice as well and obviously all the disabled spaces get used first. There's always people on the door to open the door for me on arrival, but I have to ask somebody to let me out as the doors aren't automatic. We meet on the first floor, but there is a lift for us mobility challenged folk.
The first time I went the guy I met at the Mental Health Event was there as well, so I wasn't in a room full of strangers. Which I am very appreciative of because I can guarantee I wouldn't have gone again the following weeks otherwise. About fifty people attend. We all sit in a big group, introduce ourselves and then get split up into smaller groups with at least one (but usually two or three) volunteers to head up the group. Oh and gallons of tea, biscuits and one of the members of our group brings a sack of pastries.
I've been going for a few months now and take advantage of the chance to talk to a captive audience. It's right what people say, it really does help to talk. We are always much harder on ourselves when left with just our own imagination. Talking to others gives me the true perspective of other people's opinion of me - which is always different to my own negative view. It's taken me a while to realise that I just try to deflect by attempting to be funny and never really speaking seriously. Andy's Man Club is a great start to my week, there's always somebody who can offer you advice, or quite often they don't offer any thoughts, you just feel better having spoken your thoughts to other people, rather than just thinking them.
I enjoy going, it's a change of scenery and a good chance to socialise and get things off my chest. I don't think I'm too good at the socialising in breaks. Everybody's talking in a big echoey hall, which makes it hard to be heard.
