OpenBritain Blog » England

London Marathon 2010

Craig Grimes — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 08:30:25 +0000

David Weir from the UK and 4 times winner of the London Marathon had a frustrating day after he got two punctures and was denied another win. Even though David had technical problems he still managed to come in third place behind Josh Cassidy (Can) and Marcel Hug (Sui).

Shelly Woods another British Athlete from Blackpool also had a similar fate when a puncture also dashed her hopes after 21 miles.

Meanwhile, as I blogged about earlier this month, Phil Packer began his mammoth challenge of walking the marathon in 26 hours in aid of 26 different charities. Phil who is spinal cord injured managed to beat his target and completed the marathon in 25 hours 55 minutes.

Sources: BBC and The Telegraph

Below: Phil Packer at the end of the Marathon (Source: BBC)

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Candoco Dance Company to perform at The Squidz Club

Craig Grimes — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:40:21 +0000

I seem to have a bit of a thing for disabled dancers and up to now I’ve blogged events by the AMICI dance group. This time it’s the turn of The Candoco Dance Company which is also a contemporary dance group for both disabled and non-disabled dancers.

Candoco will be performing at the Squidz Club on Friday 23rd April from 7 – 11pm. The Squidz Club is held 3 times per year for young people between the ages of 14 – 25 that have learning disabilities. The Candoco event will take place at the Albany, Depford, London.

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Marathon Support for Sailability

Craig Grimes — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:11:05 +0000

Today the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) announced that Phil Packer who is spinal cord injured will walk the Virgin London Marathon to raise funds for several different organisations. Phil will walk the 25th mile for RYA Sailability during the marathon on the 25th April 2010.

Phil is hoping to complete the event in 26 hours starting at 10am on the 25th and finishing at 12 noon on the 26th. He will walk each mile with a support walker between the ages of 15 – 25 from the different organisations he is raising funds for.

For the full story and to sponsor Phil, please visit the RYA Sailability article or visit Phil’s website.

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Vitalise TV Appeal

Craig Grimes — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:37:30 +0000

Vitalise which is a charity that provides short breaks for disabled people and carers has recently announced that they will be the subject of a BBC TV Lifeline Appeal to be broadcast on 18 and 21 April 2010.

The charity recently opened their doors to a BBC film crew and comedian Authur Smith who spoke to disabled holiday makers at Vitalise Netley Waterside House in Southampton about the challenges of living with a disability and the difference Vitalise makes to their lives.

See the Vitalise website for the full article.

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Whitby Abbey

Craig Grimes — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:11:43 +0000

The Easter holidays are here and the kids are off school so from the 1st – 16th April we’ll be looking at some great days out across the UK that have facilities for disabled people.

First up is Whitby Abbey, managed by English Heritage and set in the picturesque North Yorkshire coastal town of, you guessed it, Whitby. With over 2000 years of history including the royal princess, Abbess Hild and Bram Sroker’s Dracula there’s something for all the family! The grounds are the perfect vantage point for picnics and views of the shoreline, Whitby and beyond.

The first thing people with mobility impairments may think when considering Whitby Abbey are the 199 steps to get to it! Never fear, it’s been tried and tested by OpenBritain’s very own blogger and wheelchair user, me. Assuming you have your own vehicle with you there’s a drop off point for disabled people at the main entrance and then there’s parking close by. There are also various buses that will get you to the abbey.

The English Heritage web site gives this information about access:

Access to monument and grounds: Via visitor centre; lift up to the grounds.
Grass paths around the ruins.
Steps to enter the nave.
Benches.
There are changes in the level and cobbled surfaces throughout the site.
It may become waterlogged in wet weather.
WC adapted for wheelchair users.

And further information for deaf and blind people:

Visually Impaired Visitors:

Audio tour designed with visually impaired in mind. Included in admission price. Tactile exhibits in the visitor centre.

Hearing Impaired Visitors:

Audio tour with hearing loop included in admission price. Subtitled audio-visual displays in the visitor centre.

Further information can be found on OpenBritain, on page 263 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the English Heritage Whitby Abbey Website.

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Mobility Roadshow 1st – 3rd July 2010

Craig Grimes — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:37:04 +0000

The Mobility Roadshow on the 1st – 3rd July 2010 will be held at the East of England Showground in Peterborough. Don’t know where that is? Have a look at the location map on the Mobility Roadshow website. You can also find local accommodation and other things to do on OpenBritain.

Our partners DisabledGo will also be attending this event as well as Naidex. For those interested in Caravanning and Camping, Nirvana Motorhomes will also be attending the event as well as car manufacturers, companies that adapt vehicles and test drives will be available as usual.

This is a large event so people would be wise to try to deicide what they want to see before they go. You can do research on the Mobility Roadshow website and also download and print the event floor plans.

The event will also be held in Edinburgh on the 17th & 18th September and details will follow shortly.

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Naidex, 20th – 22nd April 2010

Craig Grimes — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:06:07 +0000

Very soon the exhibition and roadshow season will be upon us again soon here are a few posts about this year’s events. Naidex is taking place at its usual venue the NEC from the 20th – 22nd April and includes features such as New Product Showcases, Car Zone, Meet the OT, the Communication Village, Sensory Garden as well as a Lifestyle Seminar & Demo Area.

Naidex has also announced that ”Shannon Murray will be opening the event at 10:00am on Tuesday April 20^th at the Birmingham NEC. Shannon is without doubt the UK’s most recognisable disabled model and recently starred in the Channel 4 series How to Look Good Naked. In addition to opening Naidex, Shannon will also be giving a short talk and answering questions within the lifestyle and demonstration zone at 1:30pm.”

OpenBritain partners DisabledGo will be at the event so why not pop along to visit them and other holiday exhibitors.

The Naidex website gives information on exhibitors, floor plan and details on how to get there. Information about where to stay and other things to do in the Birmingham area can be found by using the OpenBritain search engine.

Registration for the event is now open, please do so on their registration page.

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Proven House, Alston, Lancashire

Craig Grimes — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:10:18 +0000

Proven House provides self catering accomodation situated on a working farm near Alston, Lancashire, in the beautiful Ribble Valley and was converted to a very high standard in 2008. The property has been assessed and given awards for mobility, visual and hearing impairments under the National Accessible Scheme.

The house consists of a fully equipped kitchen/dining area with all modern amenities, comfortable lounge with digital TV/DVD, twin bedded room with adjustable beds and en-suite wet room with disabled facilities.

The Access Statement gives a summary of the provision for disabled people and further details can be found on OpenBritain, on page 281 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Proven House Website.

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Primrose Court, Tebay, Cumbria

Craig Grimes — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:47:41 +0000

Primrose cottage constructed Primrose Court 1 and 2 in 2007 with the disabled traveller in mind. They provide the same facilities as Primrose Lodge such as 2 beds, 2 bathrooms with the addition of double ended Jacuzzi bath, en-suite 4-poster, electrically operated bed, twin room, flat screen TVs throughout, dish washer and washing machine. They are both Non-Smoking apart from where smoking is permitted outside on balconies from the lounge.

Both are flat, with level access and have private drives and parking adjacent to the units. Pets are welcome and they are set in 1 acre garden and within a five minute walk is the Cross Keys Inn, a delightful old country pub, serving bar meals. The little village of Tebay has two churches, two pubs, a railway club and pretty walks along the banks of the River Lune.

Tebay is situated 16 miles from Penrith to the north, 11 miles from Kendal to the south and almost adjacent to the north Lakes and Yorkshire Dales. The Howgill fells, as yet one of the quieter places for walkers, are the hills located within easy reach of the village. The Scottish border is approximately one hours drive north, making Tebay and Primrose Cottage an ideal overnight stop for journeys up and down the country, or an excellent centre to access Cumbria, the Lakes and the Yorkshire Dales.

The Access Statement gives a summary of the different cottages provision for disabled people and further details can be found on OpenBritain, on page 279 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Primrose Court Website.

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Irton House Farm, Cockermouth, Cumbria

Craig Grimes — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:36:22 +0000

Irton House Farm is set in 240 acres of pasture and woodland and commands probably one of the finest views to be found in the Northern Lakes. It is a working sheep farm and was chosen as the venue for the BBC series ‘One Man and His Dog’.

Within easy driving distance are Derwent Water, Thirlmere, Ullswater and the famous waterfall ‘AiraForce’, Buttermere, Loweswater and Crummock Water. The towns of Keswick and Cockermouth, the birthplace of the poet William Wordsworth, are also nearby.

The property is made up of 6 cottages, The Robins, Jinney and Granary which all sleep 2 people, while The Swallows and Shepherd’s Rest that sleep 4 people as well as the Martins which sleeps 6. The Access Statement gives a summary of the different cottages provision for disabled people and further details can be found on OpenBritain, on page 276 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Irton House Farm Website.

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