Archives for August 2019

Samsung’s Uncover the beauty of Hull with UK Shooters

August 28, 2019 Leave a Comment

** Disclaimer press invite by Samsung and UK Shooters please see for more details

On Saturday 15th June I was invited to attend *Samsung Undercover the Beauty of Hull with*UK Shooters and *Samsung using the Galaxy S10. (press invite)

Having to turn down other events being the stubborn person, I am at times this was going to be my day and I was going to sort it from start to finish, so I was determined I was going to make this one.

I have only ever transported my scooter on a coach before so had no idea how to go about doing this, my first point of call was an MS Facebook group to see how others had managed.

My scooter is supposed to be a boot scooter and I can take it apart, however the last time I did this the free wheel had gone on it by the time it was put back together, which makes it very difficult to push if needed, so I don’t want to do this too often.

As I didn’t get much response from the Facebook group, I contacted the MS Society in Hull and East Riding and asked if they could help.

They contacted me back and I was given a number to ring for the volunteers who transport MSers around. Ringing the number I had left it too late in the day to sort a driver out, but it is good to know they are there if needed.

So onto Google to see if it had the answers, the first couple of numbers I rang didn’t transport scooters, the third I rang did transport scooters but didn’t have any availability, but he did say he would try and find another driver for me.

In the meantime, I checked the local bus timetable as recently I have got on a London bus with my scooter, so after checking the times and looking on their website it said they had low floor buses suitable for wheelchairs.

I emailed East Yorkshire Motor Services and asked the question, “could I travel with a scooter” whereby a got a resounding no they don’t accept scooters. This list shows the bus companies that do ironically Stagecoach who operate in Hull do, but they don’t cover the East Riding.

On the Thursday before the event the guy who said he wasn’t available had managed to find me another driver. Because of my determination to attend this event I booked it for 10:30 and to collect me at 14:00. The cost was going to be £25 each way, I thought at the time this was expensive but decided I was going so I would pay it.

Setting off

Saturday morning, I was ready and waiting with the scooter out front for 10:15 I decided to ride down to the parking area and wait for the driver.

10:30 I was beginning to panic and at 10:35 the driver arrived apologising for being early, he wasn’t early he was late.

My scooter was loaded, and we set off. During the journey I asked if there was a number I could have in case I needed to change the time, he quite abruptly informed me I couldn’t change the time as he was doing me a favour already he was supposed to be doing something else.

Doing me a favour for £50 OK mate ☹

I let it drop and didn’t mention it again, until we stopped so I asked for his card just in case.

He dropped me off on Tower Street for me to travel down Humber Street, now anyone who knows Hull will know that this area has recently gone through regeneration to coincide with the UK City of Culture 2017.

Accessibility

Here was my first issue with accessibility as the centre of Humber Street is cobbled. No good for a small scooter, either side of the cobbles there are pavements but because of the work in progress hoardings and the restaurants and bars up the street with outside areas, this turned into my first obstacle course of the day.

Surely accessibility should have been looked at as part of the regeneration. #HCC #AccessibleHull
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Surely accessibility should have been looked at as part of the regeneration.

After a bumpy ride up Humber Street, I reached Thieving Harrys where the event was leaving from.

Arriving at the event

Yeah, an accessible doorway with a closed door, thankfully someone very kindly opened the door for me.

Once I got in I went to greet the ladies from HEY Bloggers and a very kind lady from Samsung offered to get me a drink.

There were hot drinks and bucks fizz available along with a selection of food.

After an introduction from UK Shooters and Samsung, Samsung loaned out the Samsung S10 in exchange for your ID.

When I managed to reverse up sufficiently for me to get out of the bar we went outside on to the Marina area, again it all looks very pretty but Humber Dock Street is also cobbled, there are spaces that have been block paved for crossing though which means you can at least get across.

The photos I have taken below where all taken on my Samsung S9 as I didn’t get a S10 but I did take advantage of grabbing a lesson with the Samsung staff on how the camera worked.

Staying with Jen and Kat we moved slowly back down Humber Street following the team, but we decided to stop and take our own photos on Pier Street.

When we came back out the team had disappeared, so we followed our own path, back onto Humber Street and then onto Queen Street, via the obstacle course and trying to find dropped kerbs as we went.

Jen stood against the rainbow wall in Queen Street Hull

Turning right onto Wellington Street after trying to find more dropped kerbs I gave up and decided to ride down the road as it was less bumpy. Again, as this is in the regeneration area I would expect it to be more accessible.

The event finished at 13:00 and the HEY Bloggers where going to Princes Quay so rather than stay on my own I decided to change my pick-up area and make my way to see my friend who has a stall in Trinity Market. You need to check her out Watt 2 Wear. Look out for a post shortly featuring her clothing.

The ride to Trinity Market

Setting off down the side of the Marina I didn’t consider the roadworks and protective hoardings on the corner off Humber Dock Street and Castle Street. When we got to the bottom I had to almost lift the scooter down the kerb as they hadn’t taken accessibility into consideration when they put the hoardings up.

When we got to the bottom I had to almost lift the scooter down the kerb as they hadn’t taken accessibility into consideration when they put the hoardings up. #HCC
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Rachael in jeans with a grey jacket on on a mobility scooter pointing to a straight kerb

I need to arrange a meeting with Hull City Council Highways department surely, they have consultants when they are setting up roadworks etc., It just doesn’t seem right currently that we are still having to fight to get access for all.

At least the remainder of the ride down Princes Dock Street, onto Whitefriargate, Silver Street, Lowgate into Trinity Market was a smooth ride.

Thank you to Samsung and UK Shooters for the invitation and the chance to meet new friends.

Rach, Violet, Jen, Emma and Kat sat at a table in Thieving Harry's smiling

Jess On The Plus Size – Pink Clove Exclusive Influencer Edit

August 27, 2019 Leave a Comment

Contains AF links

As part of my journey with body confidence and body positivity Jess was one of the first influencers I followed on Instagram, I have watched her grow from a bouncy lass from the North East to a bouncy lass from the North East with thousands of followers and there is a reason for that, she is just a down to earth lass who loves her wine, like the rest of us and likes to bounce around either sharing her latest shopping haul with you or doing her fitness videos in the living room.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jess at the Curve Fashion Festival last year and she was just as I expected, a real pleasure to meet.

When I saw that Pink Clove had offered her an influencer edit, I was over the moon for her, one because I love Pink Clove, and two because I couldn’t be happier for her.

Pink Clove are quietly sneaking into the plus size market and are doing some lovely pieces, I especially love their jumpsuits of which I have a couple and their wrapover midi dresses with all of their different colour ways are also a favourite of mine. Their skinny jeans which I have in black and a dark denim are a really good fit, just high enough without being under my boobs and just enough stretch without having to pull them up all the time, they are also true to size and have 5 pockets which is always a bonus.

When Jess’s collection was premiered I had already signed myself up to the pre- notification mailing list and with 30% off I had to try a couple of pieces.

The Plus Size Chain Link Long Sleeve Maxi Wrap Dress which I ordered in an 18 to fit the girls in, is a beautiful good quality dress with a full wrap over and as Jess would say “passes the gash test”, I love the style and the print as it sits so well, leaving the pattern to flow to the floor.

Plus Size Rust Front Tie Jumpsuit, I ordered an 18 in the this and I would say I could have sized down, as it is I like the material and it will easily be a transition piece with a t-shirt underneath, it is very easy on and off too, which for me is a must with a jumpsuit, and can be dressed up with heels or down with trainers.

If you haven’t tried out the range yet, there are still some sizes available in most pieces and there is 20% off today with BANK20.

What do you think of Pink Clove, have you tried them? Let me know in the comments and please share.

Rach!xx

Multiple Sclerosis flare

August 24, 2019 2 Comments

I just wanted to take this time to update you on what this bloody awful illness does to you to give you some idea of what it takes every day to do the smallest things.

Multiple Sclerosis flares with me are intermittent but as you will see below I can also bring them on with doing too much, and if any one of my sensitivities are overwhelmed.

Interesting enough one of the support groups I am in someone asked a question what peoples flare signs are, now for you to understand this you need to know what a flare is:

When I was a young girl I used to have this recurring nightmare that I was falling down a wall and I had no control, thankfully I never landed but night after night after I closed my eyes this would happen, I kept trying all the time to reach the wall but no matter how hard I tired I just never reached it.

My flare feels like this, because of who I am my instinct will always be to fight it and even though I am trying I can’t get hold of that wall to stop myself falling and the more I fight to do it the more severe the flare becomes.

I know what’s coming. My mind starts to race, my senses all go into overdrive, my eyes blur, my ears become over sensitive to noise, my sense of smell becomes more heightened, my words start to slur, I struggle to get words out, my whole-body temperature drops causing me to shiver and tremble, my limbs all feel heavy, my head starts to pound, I am so dizzy I can’t stand up and I am overwhelmed with nausea.

During all of this I am trying to understand how I have caused this to happen, I feel it’s my fault and I am starting to examine where I have overexerted myself, where were the signs? Have I not been listening to my body?

Yes, I have been listening to my body, but the truth is life takes over, and by life, I mean having a shower or nipping out for a bottle of milk, not trying to swim 70 lengths or walk 4 miles, I didn’t do anything wrong it’s not my fault I am ill.

So instead of fighting, I must trust that if I allow myself to fall, I will eventually hit the bottom and that the impact won’t be too hard. The scariest and most frustrating thing about a crash is that I don’t know how long it’s going to last. But, if I rest, then eventually I will start to feel better.

I'm at the bottom of the wall — I’m at the bottom

I’m at the bottom without any means of escape. All I can do is rest and wait, knowing that if I rest, in time a ladder will appear to slowly take me back to the top. This can take days to even get on the first rung, and I can quite easily fall back down again by doing too much, but climb it I must no matter how slow.

At the bottom looking up at a ladder — I will get back up

I find resting so hard though as being a doer and an organiser my brain is still active though extremely foggy and the worst is being sat in the house, seeing the dust, pots and pet hair and knowing that just by dusting the tv it can slip me back down a rung of that ladder and if I have only managed to get up one I am pushing myself back into negative.

After a massive flare yesterday where all of the above and more happened, today I am opting to keep out of the beautiful sun and keep cool with a fan on all day.

What do your MS flare’s look like? I look forward to your comments, please share too, thank you,

Rach!xx

Accessibility – Wakefield Trinity

August 21, 2019 Leave a Comment

My view of players warming up on the pitch — My view

Sunday the 11th August saw us travelling away to Wakefield Trinity, I had purchased a standard ticket and Mum had spoken to Wakefield Trinity about parking.

Wakefield was one of only 2 away games I attended last season, so I was aware of the layout and the seating area for disabled.

The arrangement made with Wakefield was for us to be able to drop off at the ground and then for the driver to park up, which he duly did.

On arrival we pulled up outside of the ground and where we all got dropped off along with Speedy IGO.

Below is what greeted me to get across to the stand, gravel everywhere and no real pedestrian access as cars where still driving me at me while I was crossing it as slowly as I could manage. Also, dreadful for ambulant people to walk on.

The car park at Wakefield Trinity covered in very uneven gravel

On getting to the stand, there is a disabled access gate which also doubles up as access to the executive boxes and the dressing rooms with a steep slope up towards to the seating area.

The seating area is an open sided wooden hut with a roof on and chairs for carers that have been brought down from the hospitality area, either wooden or with a little padding on, not ideal for sitting for 80 minutes to watch a game of rugby.

There is only room for a maximum of six wheelchairs, depending on their size and you are in direct line of the playing surface with no protective barriers, should a player or ball go astray over the dead ball line they would be straight into you.

The view is great if you like being ground level as for the first time in many a year I at least could see the whole pitch.

Hull FC Players warm up on the pitch — Hull FC Players warm up

As half time approached my friend Karen arrived from the stand to see me and took me to the toilet, up on asking for the disabled toilets I was directed to a toilet where there was quite a queue forming and some of my other friends where in it.

Door to the disabled toilet — It’s seen better days

Karen asked them why they where queuing there and they replied a steward had sent them, so they didn’t have to go to the other end of the stand.

Karen being Karen stood her ground and guided me to the front of the queue, one lady asked if I needed to go and Karen quickly responded when she needs to go, she has to go, while pointing in the direction behind the executive boxes as there were further toilets there. I really don’t know what I would do without her sometimes, she is one special friend to me.

Into the toilet which wasn’t secured by a radar lock and was just open for anyone to use, hence the queue outside, it had a slope to get in and also had a grab bar next to the toilet seat, with a low sink and a baby change table on the wall, for one of the older grounds I have visited it wasn’t a bad toilet. There was also toilet roll and paper towels.

Grab rail in the disabled toilet — Grab rail

Baby Change in the disabled toilet — Baby Change

At the end of the game, we all exited the hut and the journey back to the coach began, now on the way in I did say there was a slope, well I had to get back down this and was very nervous as it was so steep. I asked a friend if he would push me down the slope and then I would be fine, what I didn’t bank on was him letting go of me at the bottom without warning and I drove straight into a fence. I am still learning with Speedy IGO it has to be said.

Making our way back out of the car park a group from our coach where walking with us and it was a good job as one of them had to push me out of the car park, the gravel was awful to get over and the only way out was the same way as the cars were going.

This has to be one of the scariest situations I have every been in as the cars just weren’t stopping for me they just kept on pushing their way out, one even cutting me up to the left of me, when we finally got to the end of the car park to get across the road to the coach a car to the right of me flashed me across, so the car on the outside of me turned into the road at the same time, no idea how he didn’t hit me, then just as I was crossing the final road to get to the coach a car pulled straight out in front of me.

Drivers for heaven’s sake have some bloody consideration, the maximum speed I can go is 4mph now that is flat out and I actually don’t think it goes that fast, I have no protection surrounding me, you hit me, it’s me you will damage. If you see someone with a mobility scooter or an electric wheelchair please be a bit more patient, no one is in that much of a rush that they need to plough into me.

Thankfully safely back on the coach and home again with a win in the bag to boot.

In summary – Wakefield is a very old ground and though I handed my bottle to the steward at the gate and asked him to dispose of it, which he did, there was no bag check requested. The hut is not big enough and from a safety point of view is far to close to the playing area without any protection.

The car park needs pedestrian access as it was just a free for all with cars coming from every direction and very unsafe for wheelchair and ambulant users to cross.

Even though they had a disabled toilet, stewards should not be advising able bodied fans to use it, as that defeats the object.

My overall score is 5 out of 10.

Have you been to Wakefield Trinity, let me know in the comments below and please share.

Rach!xx

Say No to WW App

August 18, 2019 Leave a Comment

Part of this post is taken from a guest post not yet published.

This is my response to the WW app aimed at children as young as 8 years old and what happens when you are constantly under pressure to lose weight.

Reading daily of children who are being ostracised in schools for being above their BMI, this has to stop now, not all bodies are the same, shape, size etc., One size 10 might be a size 14 in a different shaped body, BMI is just bollocks, leave children to be children and let them grow up enjoying food not being told they can’t eat this and that and counting calories. All this will do is lead to an increase in eating disorders and serious mental health issues.

From as young as I can remember other people had issues with my weight, at 11 years old going into secondary school I was a size 12 which in comparison to my friends was enormous.

I distinctly remember my own Grandma berating me for years about how plump I was, and it wasn’t good for my health, she was a very tiny woman 6 stone when she died but never much more than that.

My childhood was full of both my Mum and friends Mum’s constantly striving for their size 10 wedding dress figure, remembering meals where Mum didn’t eat, not sure now whether that was about money or weight, but we never asked, just assumed she had already eaten.

We ate well though I have to say, cooked meals every night with pudding and Sunday dinner every week, even when we had been to Rugby it was all prepared before hand ready to eat when we got home.

When Grandma came for lunch, I still remember her saying there was too much on my plate, I needed to cut down, this was from a young age right up to her death in my 30’s.

At 14 years old I started to really suffer with my bowels, when I got to 16, I was diagnosed with IBS and sent to a dietitian to manage my diet. Bear in mind we paid for this dietitian at a private hospital as this was what was advised by the consultant would benefit me.

I turned up for my first appointment and was asked to stand on the scales, I was 16 and I had this dietitian giving me a weight card and advising me to lose three stone. I don’t remember what I weighed but I would say it was around the 11 stone mark.

She then proceeded to give me a diet sheet that consisted of 800 calories a day and was mostly salad with bran sprinkled on it.

Doing as I was advised we went straight from the first appointment shopping and gathered up all the items on the diet sheet, I distinctly remember having to put bran on my cornflakes with a tablespoon of skimmed milk and have you tried a chicken salad with bran sprinkled all over it? I strongly advise you don’t.

As Mum was being really strict I had to stick to this bloody diet and as expected the weight dropped off me very quickly, but I was so ill, never off the toilet and all I remember was this bloody dietitian praising me because of all the weight I had lost, I was missing work because of it and missed being out and about with my friends.

In the end I went to see my GP and told him this dietitian wasn’t interested in my IBS she was interested in controlling my weight and even he said by controlling my weight it would help my bowel become less lazy.

I was on a losing battle with it and I remember really putting my foot down in the end and saying I was having no more bran and wasn’t going back to the dietitian again.

Working on a market at the time I met a great bunch of girls and I went through the next few years with no one really mentioning my weight much as we were all the same size.

In 1990 I lost my dad very suddenly and the firm I was working for at the time sacked me for having time off for his funeral, how disgraceful eh? After the funeral I had a week off and then set about finding another job.

The first interview I went for I was honest as to why I had been sacked and surprisingly she offered me the job. It was in a car dealership as a receptionist. I really have no idea how heavy I was at the time but probably about 12 stone, I seem to remember being in size 14 clothes, which in Top Shop terms was too big.

Going through the next few years in a job I loved and with the best social life of my life I still had my Grandma pecking away at me, but the one thing that stands out is coming into work one Saturday morning to a picture someone had drawn of me as a whale, I was devastated I thought these people where my friends yet even they thought I was a whale.

What followed was over 20 years of yoyo dieting, I tried weight watchers, lost two stone, stopped it put it back on, then I tried slimming world, lost 3 stone, stopped it and put it back on, and this went on up until 2013 when I had my gallbladder removed and they dropped a stone during removal and I was in absolute agony for 6 months, in this time I had lost two stone and suddenly I was being praised for how good I looked.

Living on Tramadol and paracetamol 4 times a day and still in pain, but hey it was all good as I looked good in my clothes. Once it was removed six months later the pain subsided and I was able to eat again, so yes you guessed it I put the weight back on.

Early 2015 saw me have a long awaited hysterectomy for the chronic endometriosis I had suffered for years, again I was in pain for nearly a year following that and half through the year I was wearing size 12 shorts, so of course looked amazing to everyone, with no consideration of the pain I was in daily which was making it so I couldn’t keep the weight on.

In 2017 when the MS flare, I was bored, I had gone from being a professional business person, seeing customers and suppliers every day to nothing, it was hard to deal with while trying to keep myself and my brain active in some way.

My original diagnosis prior to my MS diagnosis was ME/CFS and through that I found Instagram which gave me a purpose, the purpose of highlighting the lack of understanding and funding for CFS/ME.

While I was scrolling through Instagram, I was finding plus size bloggers and models and one whose blog I had read for a while after seeing her on a Yours Clothing advert on TV was Laura Ferry, What Laura Loves, once I started following Laura, suggestions started coming up for other bloggers to follow.

I quickly found Danielle Vanier, Jess on a Plus Size, Terrible Tumbles who has since become The Em Edit, Emma really resonated with me as she wore the same size as me and looked amazing in every thing she wore,

I then found these women where accessible, these woman where human beings who were happy to respond to your questions/queries etc., and they were all confident in their own skin.

Having spent most of my adult life believing I was the fat one, because I was tall at school and developed boobs and from a very early, I remember my friends brother calling me thunder thighs and while I laughed at the whale picture at the time I was breaking inside at every comment made about my weight

Sketch of a Whale - Photo Credit Wikipedia

Even various partners pulling me apart because of my size, one even saying when I lost all the weight following my hysterectomy, he would leave me if I put the weight back on. He left me anyway for someone the same size.

These bloggers who I had got used to seeing every day in new outfits or maybe just a newly made up face, they started to make me think about me, about how I had punished myself for years because of my weight, how others had punished me, how it made me so unhappy, how the picture of a whale on my keyboard hurt me so badly, the realisation that this was how my friends saw me, the me that used to spend hours in front of the mirror trying clothes on before I went out and I always seemed to end up under or overdressed there was never a happy medium. I spent years being ruled by label sizes, worried how my nose looked, did I have a double chin, was I ugly.

Now I look in the mirror and I take the outfit shots, I post the face of the day, I feel good in my clothes, I have thrown the scales away and I am no longer ruled by labels.

“This body is a vessel for my awesomeness”

Please sign the petition and I look forward to comments and shares.

Rach!xx

KCOM Stadium – Accessibility

August 5, 2019 Leave a Comment

On Friday we returned to our home ground of the KCOM stadium and because Mum is also disabled, we have had a parking space on the perimeter of the stadium for several years which helps with accessibility.

The only downside to this is you must be in the ground at least 45 minutes before kick off otherwise they lock you out and you have to park on the main south stand car park. It has happened to us twice this season and it’s quite a distance to the stadium from the south stand car park.

Another thing we are fortunate for though is our parking space is right in line with the lift for the east stand which is where our passes are for.

On arrival I took the ramps from the car and safely rolled Speedy I-Go down the tracks, the ramps put back away I got into Speedy and set off towards the lifts.

The lift, singular is not very big, in fact I believe it is only for 8 persons and with a stand with the capacity of 6000 is not ideal, also bearing in mind you can only get one wheelchair in at any one time, so it’s a waiting game.

Once up on to the concourse I go to the disabled toilet, this doesn’t have a radar lock and is therefore open to abuse.

It’s normally clean and there are enough rails for ease of getting on and off the toilet and a safety pull cord, though as can be noted was fastened around the grab rail. The door only swings one way so is difficult to handle if you happen to be on your own as it’s a case of opening it and holding it open with your foot as you go through, ok for me but no good for people who have lost limbs or the use of their limbs.

Grab Rails with safety pull cord attached

After the toilet stop we make our way to the food and beverage outlet, as you can see there is now space for a wheelchair user and therefore I have to have someone with me to both reach my food/drink and hand over my money/card.

Now this is one ground I insist on going into the stand, mainly because there are about 20 of us who have been together in one place for a lot of years and because the wheelchair platform near there is full.

My amazing friend meets me every home game and helps me up the steps with a raft of other helpers as I get further up the stand. Everyone is amazing and as I go up there is never a shortage of hands reaching out to get me into my seat safely, for which I am eternally grateful.

I stay seated throughout the game, unless I need the toilet and then the same military exercise takes place to get me back down and up again.

I probably never say it often enough, but I am so fortunate for the amazing friends I have.

At the end of the game I am once again helped down to my chair and I go and get into the queue for the lift, this is the longest part and can take 20 minutes to get out of the stadium, often being the last down.

Speedy is safely secured back in the car and we can join the queue to leave the stadium, again this can take a while as they only open one exit for all the car parks, so everyone is vying for position from all angles.

In summary the KCOM scores 7 out of 10 because there is only one lift, the disabled toilet is not on a radar key and getting in and out is dreadful when there are other exits that can be opened but they are never staffed. The other discrepancy I noted and even asked on Thursday was there where no bag checkers, second week on the trot my bag hasn’t been checked, when ironically on the screen at half time there was a video of the Hull FC players talking about what to do in the event of a terror attack, for anyone who doesn’t know, You Run, Hide and Report.

We are very much left to feel like the poor relation as tenants of the KCOM at times and that makes me very sad as at the end of the day it was built as a community stadium.

Guest Brian Sylvester

It was back to the league for Hull after their Semi Final defeat at Bolton, and with a very short turn around, Wigan were the visitors to the KCOM stadium.

Leaving Grimsby, on a very balmy evening, we made good progress across the river and arrived at the stadium car park just after half six. Now this may seem early for a 19:45 kick off but we have arrived at the car park, ours is situated on the inner circle, just before 19:00 on the odd occasion only to be informed that we have not arrived in time and would have to park in the main car park as the barrier is down for spectator safety.

We were originally told it was 30 minutes before kick-off, football is 45 mins, something I think needs making clear to both stewards and disabled parkers is a definite cut off time.

Parked up we made our way to the reception area to make entry to the ground. We should use a different gate, but the door is always closed and if the steward has wandered away no one responds to our knocking on the door. The lift is also very slow and quite often catering people slip in it causing delays. So, it’s to the reception, where we always receive a nice welcome and the lift is called for us.

It’s only a short ride to the disabled platform W4, on arrival last Thursday I was pleased to see our usual steward on duty, Natalie who looks after us very well, sometimes we have a steward on a mobility scooter. Now this appears to be a good idea, but we must question how useful he is to disabled people.

The main concern is if there was to be a fire on the concourse there is no way he would be able to get out of the area without using the steps. We have also found him to be quite aggressive with the use of his scooter whilst manoeuvring around on the platform. He wasn’t there last Thursday so we had no issues.

The toilet for disabled people is clean; sometimes someone nips in for a cigarette but it is not radar key operated, so allowing general use if there are queues at the other toilets.

I don’t use the catering outlets as there does not appear to be a disabled till and the queues are manic at half time.

The game with Wigan as always is was exciting with the Warriors gaining revenge for the golden point defeat, we inflicted on them early in the season by beating us by a single point 15-14.

Losing so close to the end hurts but we stayed to applaud a great effort by the lads.

Leaving our platform, we said our goodbyes to the steward, again who does a wonderful job, and made our way to the lift.

Because we had stayed to applaud the team there was no queue at the lift and for a change when sky are there was no technicians carrying boxes of cables that fill the lift. As well as no able bodied people coming down from the top floor.

Back in the car park the stewards stand in front of your car stopping you moving, this is a good idea as it allows pedestrians to walk freely round the perimeter. If you wish to leave early, we were informed you must be back at your car no later than 20 mins into the second half thus meaning you miss a quarter of the game, surely ten minutes would be late enough.

Exiting the car park is a slow old job as quite often we are delayed leaving to allow the visiting buses to exit. We made it out eventually about 15 minutes after setting off.

A big delay is people who think they are important and don’t join the queuing system that’s in place.

Still I was home for my cocoa by 23:00 disappointed with the result but having enjoyed the game.

My points score for the KCOM for disabled people last Thursday was an 8 but at other games that could drop to as low as 5.

I hope you are finding it interesting the contrast between two disabled people who are in the same stadium in different areas, I am an east stand passholder and Brian a west stand passholder.

There are similarities though with the lift, the toilet, the catering and the entrance and egress from the stadium.

I welcome any comments and shares.

Rach!xx