What's a Barnabus?

Last Friday, Pete Beckley and his wife Jane brought round the piece I'd commissioned for my lovely wife's big 6-0. It's a sort of omnibus, for books and bits and pieces and everything. It's a unique creation (though it does have a posher brother). Ever since we moved in, the kitchen table carried a shoe-rack which held her recipes, at an increasingly precarious angle. Well, it did its job, but was a bit of a blot on the landscape of the refitted kitchen.

'Barnabas'

Being friends with a rising star of furniture designers, it was obvious, really, wasn't it? Get an early Beckley original! And that's what we now have. None of your boring four-square flat-pack shelves. I didn't want that. This is a work of art, beautifully crafted and pleasing to the eye. And as for practicality - you wouldn't believe the difference it's made. It's very encouraging.... And I see its posh brother is called Barnabas ("son of encouragement"), which was on display at Blenheim, when we were in Blackpool. You can see it on Pixel Furniture's Facebook site, along with others pieces of Pete's work.

The best way to describe ours is with pictures. It's a thing of beauty. (Wasn't that what Keats said about a Grecian urn?)

Our "Barnabus"

Fly's eye view

In context

Now here it is, in operation:

All on board

   

Even standing room for pens and pencils!

"Craftsman's art..."

Back to reality

As we sped south down the M6, we passed a very unpleasant accident on the north-bound carriageway, three fire engines, an ambulance or two and any number of police cars. Unsurprisingly there were miles of nearly stationary traffic. It was a bit of a reality check, as was the news of the Southern Cross care homes fiasco which could leave 31,000 elderly and vulnerable people without care and a home, and of course all their carers jobless.

I don't pretend to understand all the convolutions of the private equity companies that have played their part in bringing the company into this parlous state, but some people have clearly made a lot of money out of it, such as Wall Street financier who made £500 million out of it, and its former chief executive, Philip Scott, who sold his shares in the company for a mere £13 million four years ago.

And then there came the horrible Panorama programme about Winterbourne View, the "care home for adults with autism and learning disabilities run by Castlebeck, a company which has a £90 million turnover and runs more than 50 other care homes. The company charges the NHS and local authorities up to £3,500 a week to care for patients" (according to the Telegraph). The care there amounted to torture of utterly vulnerable people, here in the UK. The Panorama programme shocked even the owners.

I hope it shocks the government too, so that, if it decides to go down the line of using private companies, it doesn't invest in firms like those. I can't help remembering that when we were up in Stockport, by far the best old people's home was one owned and run by the local authority. It was the only one that invested in training its staff, for example. Not surprisingly, private homes didn't bother - well, training cost and didn't maximise profit. Now here's an idea. How about laying down minimum qualifications for staff in homes, and an obligation to train, in every contract? If we dogmatically insist on going down the private road. Otherwise I fear our health and care services could be heading for a horrible crash.

Disabled in Blackpool

A prom carriage, with Dave's cousin (?)

Or "handicapped", as it's known in the States, so I learned yesterday. This post, I guess, will be of most interest to others who are disabled like me, although it gives me another chance to go on about our fab weekend in Blackpool, before the magic wears off completely! One quarter of Blackpool residents have a limiting long-term illness, and so one would expect it to be a good place for disabled holiday makers. On VisitLancashire's website, there are 84 listings under 'Disabled', including one attraction and 12 hotels in Blackpool, but no events and no restaurants there. I know that such sites rely on people submitting listings, and so this is no criticism of the Tourist Board who, as I've said, did us proud. But come on, you Blackpuddlians, we'd like to know more!

At Tiggis, No 1 for eating

Of course there are a lot of things in a resort like this that being wheelchair-bound makes impracticable, like riding in the carriages on the Prom and, I imagine, in the trams. I suspect the Pleasure Beach rides are also out. But there's plenty one can enjoy in a wheelchair - as we discovered - and, from the friendliness we experienced, I'd guess there'd be no lack of help, for example for a child wanting a donkey-ride. The Winter Gardens were very accessible (with three rather cramped disabled toilets). Frankie & Benny's was accessible and, of course, McDonalds, but, as you'll have gathered, Tiggis in Lytham St Annes was the runaway winner in the restaurant stakes. As I've mentioned toilets, there seemed to be an adequate supply. We found one locked up, in Lytham, but within 100 yards was St Annes' Pier with its redeeming feature, the disabled loo, which is a good size, well-equipped, clean and even smelling nice. I surmise that someone takes a pride in looking after it. So that takes the coveted loo award.

The Ashley Victoria Hotel, No 1 accommodation

As for hotels, clearly we didn't have different experiences to compare ours by, except by location and external appearance. Blackpool, exposed as it is to the westerly winds off the Irish Sea, must be a fiendishly difficult place in which to maintain the outside of buildings. Many hotels and b&bs near the front looked decidedly sorry for themselves. The Ashley Victoria facing north/south and quite newly painted outside and in was at the smart end of the spectrum. Its location, in a street leading on to the Promenade midway between South and North Beaches, suited us admirably. The facilities worked well for me in my wheelchair and with my rollator.

Our wetroom

The ensuite wetroom speaks for itself. Plenty of grab rails, high pedestal, right-height hand basin, shower chair and non-slip floor.
Well done.

Our bedroom

There was just room between the double and single beds for my narrow wheelchair. The decor was tasteful; our room had all the facilities we could want.

Looking seawards

If you sat in the bay-window, you got a glimpse of the sea.

I suppose it would be technically accurate to call it a guesthouse, as it doesn't do full-board, but the breakfasts (to music) make up for it ("Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper"). Its own website describes it as "family accommodation" and specifies no stag/hen/single-sex parties. Indeed it was very quiet, and we slept unusually well.

I have to say that our stay there was made by the hospitality of Diana and Wally who run it. They were welcoming and sorted out our needs cheerfully. Sadly I have a great photo of them, but promised Diana I wouldn't post it, as she hadn't done her hair! It looked fine to me, I have to say. You'll just have to take it from me that they're lovely people. (And I'll post one of the ballroom couples instead!)

So, you may be relieved to read, my Blackpool saga nears its end, but not before I thank the people involved in arranging it:
Caeshia St Paul - of Classic FM
David Gore - of the Winter Gardens, Blackpool
Kate Campbell - of Visit England
Nikki Duckworth - of Visit Lancashire
Diana and Wally Ogunbiyi - of the Ashley Victoria Hotel
Jane - my lovely driver and wheelchair pusher.

"Without whom all this would not have been possible"

I am really a blessed man.

Having a ball in Blackpool

LMS poster outside our room - note Jane & me on left

from benandstefanie.com

As you'll have gathered, we enjoyed our taste of the Blackpool Dance Festival 2011. I do hope there'll be dancing in heaven, probably not of the Rumba type, and, if there is, I hope there'll be as many free lessons as you need - and that I'm cured of my two left feet inter al! Although we were watching amateurs, I'm aware that hours and years of practice lie behind those beautifully coordinated and expressive movements. I read on one dancer's profile (Ben Taylor) that he'd started dancing aged 8 and his partner (Stefanie Bossen) at 5. 15 years' dedicated practice!

Our day wasn't quite over when we left the Winter Gardens. Next stop the Ashley Victoria Hotel, where, you may remember, Nikki Duckworth of the Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board had fixed us up instead of the disabled-unfriendly original place. From the start it was good news. Wally, our host, had kept a parking space for us right in front of the hotel and helped us to our room on the ground floor. I'll have more to say about being disabled in Blackpool. It's enough to say that Nikki had found an ideal place for us. It was clean, nicely decorated and unpretentious.

Our next move was finding somewhere to eat. We tried Frankie & Benny's, but we'd have to wait 3/4 hour for a table. Having sat for 5 minutes listening to rather too loud music, we decided to cut our losses and headed across the car park to McDonalds, where the music was quieter, the food cheaper and the tables dirtier. But, to be honest, we didn't need more. And so to bed, anticipating the excitements of another day.

Monday dawned cool and damp, though the hotel heating kept us warm plus a full English breakfast at a very civilised hour! Then it was out to explore the delights of the North Beach Promenade. I couldn't help noticing the generously proportioned profiles of many of the holiday-makers - perhaps it was just a contrast with the super-fit dancers of the day before! For some reason, Jane wasn't attracted by the Fun Palace. Trade at that time was slow. No doubt it had picked up when the sun came out in the afternoon. We looked at the hats, and the rock and candy-floss, but weren't tempted. Jane quite liked one of the tee-shirts, but then we remembered our age....

The Big One

Fairhaven Lake, Lytham St Annes

Having exhausted the delights of the north, we headed south in the car, passing the Pleasure Beach with The Big One in action. By an exercise of immense will-power, we resisted going in, and drove on south. On the Lytham road, there was a reminder of the changing face of tourism - a shut-down and decaying holiday village. Perhaps one day a use will be found for it. Driving into Lytham St Annes brought us into the other face of Lancashire's seaside holiday industry. Very polite (mainly). Home of the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf course when next year's Open is scheduled. Great sand dunes, which seemed unsuitable for a wheelchair, and so we settled instead for Fairhaven Lake, a park-cum-nature-reserve, with a very wheelchair-friendly path right round the perimeter. While we were there, the sun came out.

St Annes Pier

We moseyed around looking for postcards and came across the St Annes' pier - a rather half-hearted affair, especially as the sun-deck at the end was closed. This is clearly where the Lythamites let it all hang out. Sad to see there's a clairvoyant here as well as few in Blackpool - what a waste and blot on the landscape! There was one redeeming feature here, however.

At Tiggis, Lytham St Annes - highly recommended

We thought we'd look out for somewhere to eat in the evening, and ended up having a cappuccino and a mocha in Café Nero. Jane's experience from Cornerstone came in handy there. There were some dark chocolate brownies on display. When we asked for one, they apologised but said they were still frozen. "Could you give it a few seconds in the microwave?" Jane suggested. So they did - and it was worth it. Yummy! Cornerstone, Grove, teaches Café Nero, Lytham St Annes a useful wrinkle! In return they recommended the local Tiggis for our evening meal - which proved an excellent tip. Very good food, excellent service, and good disabled access. A great finale to an fun- and action-packed day.

As we drove back to the hotel, along the Golden Mile under repair, a solitary figure was gazing out over the sands as the sun set.

Blackpool rocks

At 1 o'clock in the morning of Friday 27th May Blackpool was shaken by an earthquake of 1.5 on the Richter scale. It might have been a tremor at the prospect of our impending visit. Or it might just have been caused by the "fracking" explosions which are part of the filthy shale gas exploration process just inland. Anyway the company behind the tests, Cuadrilla, has suspended operations. And I'm happy to be able to report that the Tower is still standing, even if surrounded by security fences while they work on repairing the Ballroom roof (not as a result of recent tremors, as far as I know).

Because we've just spent an amazingly fun weekend in Blackpool. It will no doubt take more than one post to relate all we got up to, but I'll try not to bore the pants off you.

The prelude on Saturday was a five-hour drive up the M40/M5/M6 with snarled-up bank holiday traffic followed by a lovely evening and morning of recuperation with the nicest family in Manchester (imho, as they say). Restored and refreshed, we set out mid-morning for                        
                                                                           Blackpool. David Gore, Events' Manager at the Winter Gardens, who had been involved in linking with Classic FM for the competition which you may remember was what was taking us on this unlikely pilgrimage - see my previous post - had told us to phone him when we were close. So, as we paid our respect to the sorely lamented Blackpool Town Football Club, we rang, and in a few minutes he was showing us to a reserved space under the Winter Gardens complex. Then it was through locked doors, the business end of the building, up in to the posh parts. And soon we were in the ballroom itself. There in the front row was a seat reserved for Jane and a space for my wheelchair. A programme, coffees - and so we found ourselves watching the third round of the British Amateur "Rising Stars" Ballroom Competition.

Ballroom - Ben Taylor & Stefanie Bossen (England)

I suspect that the Blackpool Dance Festival is one of the prestige events of the ballroom dancing calendar, not least because of its longevity. This is its 86th year. Certainly the competitors came from all over the world, a lot from Europe and the Far East. The only continents unrepresented seemed to be South America and Antarctica. And there are multitudes. We were there for the final rounds of the Amateur "Rising Stars" Ballroom and Latin competitions - which seemed to me a pretty good day to be there: amateur - people who dance for the love of it; rising stars - the best of the up and coming youngsters. It didn't take us long to get into it. I have to say Jane was a better talent-spotter than me. By the semi-finals, I'd picked out a couple who ended 5th, but she'd chosen the eventual 2nd and 3rd. Of course there was NOTHING technical in our spotting. I'd like to think it was more than a matter of the prettiest gown! But I was interested that mere impression to some degree mirrored technical merit.

The teller collecting scores

For Strictly fans, I'm sorry to report that there was only one representative there, adjudicating, namely the dapper Darren Bennett. It was an added bonus that there was a live orchestra, the Empress, to accompany rounds 3 and onwards, and in between sessions a real live organist accompanying the open floor dancing, which included people limbering up for the Latin. The whole day is run with practised precision, so that the final presentations take place on the dot. I was amused by the sober suited senior officials who between each dance would go round the adjudicators collecting their score sheets while the next dance was already under way.

During the lunch break the sun was out; so a wander down to the sea seemed a good idea - until we hit the wind! So back to the WG, where a young Chinese dancer asked Jane if she'd take her photo and then offered to take ours. I was impressed by the trans-national camaraderie of the whole competition. In the morning there'd been an enthusiastic posse of Australian flag-wavers who fell silent when their couple were knocked out and in the afternoon a larger contingent of Chinese whose couple were eliminated for the final.

In the Latin Jane and I weren't outstanding talent spotters. I think one of my pairs ended in the 100s. Jane particularly favoured the modest dresses - which aren't characteristic of Latin dancing, although I must say that I don't think I saw many as revealing as Strictly often indulges in, but none as modest as Widdy. Our favourite pair (English, as it turned out, Danny Stowell and Kate Moore) reached the semi-final but that was all. However, I backed 3rd and 4th - but neither of us went for the 1st and 2nd, both from the USA. And so, after "Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the Queen", we were on our way, but not before the general manager came across, having just presented the prizes, to see that we were OK, say goodbye and open the lift doors for us. I was impressed. We felt that, in the midst of an incredibly busy day, we had been shown unusual hospitality - or maybe it's normal Lancastrian hospitality. More tomorrow. Meanwhile thank you to the folk who who made us so welcome.

Danny Stowell & Kate Moore

Things that move

from Iceland Review

I believe I slept on a volcano last night. Well, that's what I like to think. Jane had hung the washing out in the day and it ended up with shiny black specks on it, especially the fleece I rest my heels on to prevent them chafing in bed. Of course, I'm no expert, but I like to think they were from the Grimsvötn volcano in Iceland rather than Didcot power station down the road. Apparently Grimsvötn produced more ash on its first day than the unpronounceable Eyjafjallajökull let out in 40 days last year. A vivid eye-witness account described it as a black wall of ash. Possibly I've been to sleep on some of it!

The Radio 4 programme The Choice, in which Michael Buerk interviews individuals who have had to make momentous personal decisions, has returned this week. They are often gritty stories. On Tuesday he was talking to 'Mikey Walsh' who's from a Romany family which has a tradition of bare-knuckle fighting. When he was born, his father hung a gold chain with an ornament of boxing gloves round his neck. As he grew up, despite his family's best efforts, it was clear that he was just not the fighting type. He was soft. Eventually in his teens he realised he was gay and made the decision to run away from his family, cutting himself off from the whole Gypsy world. The cost to him and the hurt to his father were immense. Eventually he moved into acting and wrote his story in Gypsy Boy. That stirred up a buzz of anger among his some of his former community, whom his father personally set about pacifying, by admitting that the details were true. What struck me was the end of the programme, when Mikey told how one day he rang his mother, who passed the mobile straight to his father. He said, "I've got something to tell you: you're more of a fighting man than any of 'em, and I'm proud of you." I found Mikey's honesty and his father's humility very impressive, and the at least partial reconciliation very moving.

A day in London

Yesterday Jane and I enjoyed one of our occasional forays to the capital. I'd been invited to talk at St Paul's and St Mellitus' College, which is based at St Paul's, Onslow Square, in Kensington. I would have looked at the whole building with a different eye had I realised that the recent restoration of the church was designed by Sir Norman Foster. Hence the headline which Brotherly Love pointed out to me later, "Foster turns to religion". The article from World Architecture.com is accompanied by a nice picture:

First church for Lord Foster

Foster and Partners have revealed plans to transform a Grade II listed, 1860 church into a church for the 21st century. Incorporating a ‘Family Life Centre’ a Theology College, café, bookshop, lecture facilities and 3 residential units the building will become a modern place of worship. The design approach for a maximum capacity of 1,200 is founded on a sensitive restoration of the original building together with the insertion of an adjacent contemporary building. Major improvements will be made to the energy efficiency. Replacing the existing vicarage and church hall, the new extension meets the building with a glazed atrium, ensuring links between the functions of worship with education, community and living. Comp oct 2008.

I didn't see enough to judge. It looked pretty impressive to me. However I know you'll expect me at least to comment on the disabled facilities! Entry ramp fine. Loo... I'm afraid to say, it was simply too small. Even with Jane helping me there wasn't enough room to manoeuvre a wheelchair. In fact we ended leaving it outside. How someone on their own manages I don't know. On the plus side there was a good supply of grabrails. However, the emergency alarm-pull was, for some reason, wrapped round the central light fitting out of reach! As at the new Ashmolean it seems that disabled toilets are an Achilles' heel of even eminent architects' practices. 

The welcome, however, left nothing to be desired. Genuinely warm people, real coffee, M&S sandwiches...! It really looks like a place that open-minded people who reckon Christian faith is moribund or irrelevant should check out before reaching a final conclusion. Anyhow, the students seemed to appreciate what Jane and I had to say about disability and terminal illness. I mentioned then a couple of stories I'd recently come across in the news.

from Sheffield Telegraph Kate leading off a local run

One was about Kate Allatt, a 40-year-old mother of three, who'd suffered a massive stroke and ended in a "locked-in" state for months. Amazingly she's now doing the "impossible", talking and running :
"Doctors said stroke victim was brain dead". On her website, she says, "Whilst I wanted to die in intensive care, I'm glad I didn't, now." It's quite a story, and a good news story what's more. She's just had a book published. Which might make you wonder why you didn't hear more about it on the BBC. She got interviewed on Sheffield and Northampton radio, and a short piece on the Jeremy Vine Show.

The other was about a survey carried out for Scope, the leading Disability Charity, about legalising assisted suicide. Among other things it showed that 70% of disabled people are opposed to it.  Scope's press statement ended with this telling paragraph from Richard Hawkes, its chief executive: "We have serious concerns about the so-called ‘Commission’ on Assisted Dying, which despite its name is nothing to do with the Government. It feels like their findings are a foregone conclusion, with the debate loaded in favour of assisted suicide. The Government needs to form its own independent non-biased commission to explore this.” The BBC, who featured a voters' poll in January in favour of assisted suicide, were absolutely silent about this one.... One wonders why.