Cage Warriors Manchester (135, 136, 146) Accessibility Review: Cross Country Trains, Premier Inn Trafford Centre West & Bowlers Exhibition Centre

Photo Credit Gurder (for right hand side image). Image Description: 3 images of Emma's view at Bowlers Exhibition Centre for 3 different events. The images show the view from (from left to right): Section E1, Section E2 and Section B4. In the left and centre images the view is an empty Cage Warriors cage, and in the right hand side image Paddy Pimblett carries Liam Gittins on his shoulders in the cage.

Back with another accessibility review! Technically a 3 in 1 type review as we have trains, hotel and venue all in the same review. As you can see from the title, I’ll be discussing 3 Cage Warriors events from last year, but I used the same train operators and hotel each time, and all three events were held at the same venue. Right, there’s the background, now on with the review! 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as an electric wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for other experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!) 

Cross Country Trains (Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly) 

Ticket Buying & Getting On at Birmingham New Street 

As usual. I booked the tickets on Trainline and the assistance via the Passenger Assistance app. On the day of travel, I arrived at the assistance lounge in New Street station around 20 minutes before my train as instructed and staff took me to my train from there and helped me to board with the ramp. 

On Train 

Onboard the Cross Country trains, I’ve always found that the wheelchair spaces are difficult to navigate into because the spaces themselves only just about fit my wheelchair and the table in the space cannot be moved so it’s not like you can lift it up and move it out of the way whilst you park up and then fold it back out again. The corridor is also quite tight so trying to get into and out of the carriage whilst other passengers are boarding, or disembarking is tricky. I have, however, found it reassuring that guards on Cross Country always make sure to check where I am disembarking the train. It’s comforting as a disabled person to know that a staff member is aware you are onboard, as I often have anxiety about getting left on the train. 

Disembarking & Leaving at Manchester Piccadilly 

Thankfully, staff at Manchester Piccadilly were ready with the ramp as soon as my train pulled in. They were then able to assist me down the (very steep ramp and staff advised me which bus I needed to take to my destination. 

Premier Inn Trafford Centre West 

Booking 

This was quite a simple process thankfully as I just booked an accessible room directly via the Premier Inn website. I could also choose between a room with a lowered bath or a wet room on the site when booking a room. I chose the wet room as that’s the most accessible option for me. 

Travel 

I took the bus from Manchester city centre to the Trafford Centre bus station. I will admit that the first time I visited I found this particular Premier Inn (There are 3 with the ‘Trafford Centre’ name) difficult to locate. Partly because it was late and partly because you have to cross a road or two to get there from the bus station, so it wasn’t immediately visible from the bus station. Once I found the hotel, I had to roll through the car park to get in as the other path didn’t have a drop kerb. 

2024 Update: I now conjure up the bravery to take the tram from the train station to the Trafford Centre and it’s completely accessible to me (at least the stops I use). I can take the lift from the station concourse to the the tram level, then get a tram to Deansgate Castlefield and then switch lines from there and head to the Trafford Centre. Payment is on a tap/tap out system if you have contactless card, or you can buy a ticket on the platform. In terms of accessible boarding, there are wheelchair symbols on the floor of the platforms which denote where to board for the wheelchair spaces and there is level boarding with no ramp needed at any of the stations I’ve used. The wheelchair space is similar to buses, where you park against a board. To exit, you do have to press a button to open the doors rather than it being automatic.

Experience 

The hotel itself was actually quite accessible. I was given a ground floor room which is what I prefer as that means I don’t have to battle with evacuation chairs and evacuation protocols in case of a fire. The room itself was very spacious and easy enough to manoeuvre around. I must also add that staff were very helpful in assisting me at the buffet breakfast. Hotel buffet breakfasts are something I struggle at when I travel solo as they’re often quite difficult to reach from a wheelchair. 

Bowlers Exhibition Centre (BEC Arena) 

Ticket Buying 

As usual with Cage Warriors events in these kinds of venues, I booked the accessible seats for all 3 events over the phone with Eventim. 

Travel 

Even though I picked one of the closest hotels to the venue, travel was still a little complicated. I managed to get a bus part of the way there and then the rest of it was a 30-minute walk through what I believe was an industrial estate. Check out the ‘Experience’ section for what the post event travel was like because it was…interesting. 

Experience & Seating 

Once I got to the venue, there was a ramp up to the entry door where our tickets were checked. From there it was through a corridor (including past the accessible toilet, more on that later) before entering the area where there was a food counter, merch and some benches/seating. From there I was led down a ramp into the arena and to my seat. The accessible seating was another case of simply removing a plastic seat so I could park my wheelchair. I had pretty good seats for all 3 events. The 135 and 136 events in April were on consecutive days, and my seats for those were essentially one seat apart from each other across the aisle in section E1 and E2. My seats for the November event (146) were in section B4 (again, good seats). I would say the main difference between seating in E section and B section is that B is the opposite side of the arena to the bar and accessible toilet. They do close off part of the arena (so you can’t cross from B section to the bar/toilets) when walkouts for each fight happen. So, I would factor that in if you want to make a bar or bathroom run between fights (or use the information to your advantage so you can end up right on barrier for a particular walkout, you choose). I had some issues with my view of the cage being blocked when people stood up or stood in front of me if they got particularly invested in a fight. Thankfully, in the April events I was on the back row of the section and there was plenty of room behind the seats, so I just backed up and used my chair riser to see over everyone. Staff and fellow fans were also very good at spotting when my view was blocked and offering me empty seats where I would have a better view. 

March 2024: For My most recent visit to the venue (Cage Warriors 167 and 168) there was actually a new access seating platform in the arena. I’m not sure whether it was the venue that added this or if it was added at the request of Cage Warriors, but I’m very grateful either way as it meant I could see EVERYTHING and did not have to worry once about my view being blocked by people standing. A couple of things to factor in though. Firstly the ramp up to the platform is a little steep so I’d factor that in and maybe roll a little slower when leaving the platform. The second thing to account for is that this platform is the opposite side of the platform to the bar/food/toilets so factor that into bathroom breaks, or maybe see if you have a friend who can go to the bar for the both of you. I would say time your toilet breaks for fight you want to miss, but ‘fights you want to miss’ aren’t really a thing at Cage Warriors!

Emma’s view on the access platform at Bowlers Exhibition Centre for Cage Warriors 167 and 168

Now for more on that accessible toilet in the entrance corridor. I believe it’s on the radar key system. But the radar key door doesn’t open straight into the actual bathroom as there’s an entry way and then an open doorway (without a door) into the actual bathroom. So, REMEMBER to lock that first door. The other problem with locating the accessible bathroom in that entrance corridor is that it was sometimes difficult to get to the bathroom through the flow of traffic entering and leaving the show. 

As I mentioned earlier in the ‘Travel’ section, leaving the event is where things got interesting. For the April events, the buses back to the Trafford Centre had stopped running and I didn’t know where the nearest tram stop was (and frankly didn’t fancy figuring that out at gone 11pm at night, alone in a strange city). However, having seen a few taxis parked up, I thought I’d try my luck. Any wheelchair users reading this probably already know that was a false hope. I had one driver tell me that the ramp was broken (AFTER having a full 5-minute conversation with me about where I wanted to go whilst they could see I was sat in my wheelchair. The second taxi then IMMEDIATLEY said they didn’t have a ramp and frankly the immediacy of the response (before I’d even finished my sentence) made me sceptical about whether that was true. With two refusals behind me, I called it quits and decided to make the 45-minute walk back to the hotel. Alone, in the dark, through an industrial estate. Not the safest idea but frankly it was the only option I had. 

With that experience in mind, for the November event I didn’t even try using the taxis that parked outside and skipped straight to the 45-minute walk. Thankfully, I had a friend with me this time but it’s still a sketchy walk and generally not fun to walk 45 minutes in November weather in the UK. 

2024 update: As I mentioned above, I finally plucked up to the courage to use the trams these days, so this trip gets significantly easier. To get to/from the event, I use the Red Line from Trafford Centre to Parkway and then it’s a 15 minute or so walk. The last tram back to Trafford Centre from Parkway on a Saturday is past 1am so I know I can use this option to get home after events now.

Overall whilst the trains and hotel were great with no complaints and the venue seemed quite accessible. The lack of late night, accessible post event travel options make the situation a little difficult and sketchy, particularly if you’re disabled and travel solo as I often do (and did for the first two events here). 

I hope this review was insightful and helps if you’re planning to visit Bowlers Exhibition Centre. 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels 

Hillsborough Park Sheffield Accessibility Review

Image Description: Emma and Dev on the access platform at Arctic Monkeys Hillsborough Park, with the stage behind them. Emma is sat in her manual wheelchair and Dev is kneeling beside her.

Back with another accessibility review. This time for Hillsborough Park in Sheffield, from my experience seeing Arctic Monkeys there in June 2023. 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as a manual wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

Ticket Buying 

Tickets for the access platform for this show were available online via See Tickets. Once I had purchased my wheelchair space and carer ticket, I had to send in proof of disability (in my case a benefits letter) via email. 

Travel 

In terms of travel, there was no public transport involved as my friend drove us over, hence using my manual wheelchair. The major travel related issue came when trying to book parking. Since there were multiple parking options, my friend enquired as to whether there was a specific option for accessible parking. The people she was emailing really could not answer whether there was accessible parking and just kept talking about the ‘closest’ parking option. Anyone who knows anything about accessible parking knows that being close to somewhere isn’t the only element to it. You also have to take into account things like space to unfold ramps or unload mobility equipment. We ended up just booking the closest parking location and hoping we could sort out the access side of parking when we arrived.  

Experience & Seating 

The parking actually was the closest, as our parking spot was just over the road from our entrance to the park, which looked like it might have been a designated entrance for access. From there we found our way to the access platform where my name was checked against a list, and we were given platform wristbands before we made our way up the ramp onto the platform. It almost looked like there were 2 platforms as there was our section and then a section up a few steps behind us with more seating. I’m not sure if this was a separate access section or perhaps VIP seating. There was an accessible Portaloo at the bottom of the access platform ramp, which required some skilled manoeuvring to actually fit my manual wheelchair in and allow me to transfer. 

I had 2 noticeable issues with the access at this venue. The first is more minor, and that was the refusal to put my drink in a ‘double cup’ (i.e. 2 cups stacked together). I really struggle holding full plastic cups and often end up spilling drinks everywhere because they squish too easily, so I often request that my drink be put in a ‘double cup’ at events like these. Despite my friend explaining why we’d asked and that it was an accessibility request, the request was still denied. I understand that there are general protocols around these things, but surely some discretion can be applied when you state that it’s a request for accessibility reasons? 

The other bigger issue was the sheer lack of accessible seating. Even though we arrived prior to the first band stepping on stage (so relatively early) my friend still spent most of the gig sat on the platform floor because there were no seats. People who arrived after us were just straight out told there was no seating left on the access platform. My friend had to essentially spend the gig managing the platform and playing musical chairs to find a seat for everyone who needed one. Attendees shouldn’t be the ones having to figure these things out for themselves. How do you run out of seats when you have a LIST of who needs the access platform?! A seat should be placed for everyone on that list. If someone (like me) brings their own wheelchair and decides to stay in it, then you end up with spares, simple surely?! 

I know some people will say “It’s just a park, it’s not regularly a show venue”. When somewhere is selected as a venue, it should be checked that the infrastructure is in place, or can be put in place, for proper accessibility. If proper accessibility cannot be achieved, even down to basics such as having enough seats for everyone on an access platform, the venue shouldn’t be holding shows. End of story. 

I hope this gives some insight into the accessibility of Hillsborough Park in Sheffield as a concert venue. 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels) 

Premier Inn London Docklands (Canning Town) Accessibility Review

Image Description: Emma and Alex sit next to each other, smiling broadly. They are sat on the access platform at Indigo at The O2

Back with another accessibility review, this time for a hotel! Premier Inn London Docklands (Canning Town) to be exact. 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility as an electric wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

Booking 

I was able to book and specify an accessible wet room online, which is one of the reasons I like Premier Inns. I can book my hotel room like anyone else rather than having to jump through 1000 hoops. 

Travel 

Travel was similar to the Travelodge London Docklands Central I previously reviewed. It involved a train from Birmingham to London Euston, then a bus over to Waterloo, and the Jubilee Line from there to Canning Town. 

Experience 

It was a standard Premier Inn accessible room (I’ve stayed in a few), with plenty of room for me to manoeuvre my chair and an accessible wet room with grab bars and a red emergency cord. The Premier Inn website usually gives you the option to choose between a wet room and a lowered bath in the accessible rooms (if both options are still available when you book). I always book a wet room as these are easiest for me to use without a tonne of extra equipment. The reason I prefer this hotel over the nearby Travelodge, and the reason it’s become my go to hotel for events at The O2 and Indigo at the O2, is its proximity to the tube station. The hotel is just a stones throw from Canning Town which makes it the perfect spot for collapsing into bed after a long night out and avoids the walk over the massive hill to the Travelodge. 

I hope this review provides some insight in the accessibility of Premier Inn London Docklands (Canning Town) 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels) 

Cage Warriors 111 (Train Travel from Birmingham New Street to London Euston as a Wheelchair User, and Indigo At The O2 Wheelchair Accessibility Review)

An absolutely mammoth train travel/access review post for you today. Birmingham New Street to London Euston and back with West Midlands Trains and Virgin Trains (which now no longer exists) and an access review of Indigo At The O2 for Cage Warriors 111.

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as an electric wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)

Train & Tube Outbound

Tickets

Tickets were booked through Trainline as usual and I booked the train assistance through Cross Country Trains. I did it this way, despite Cross Country not being one of the companies I travelled with, because both West Midlands Trains and Virgin trains insisted on having my wheelchair dimensions before booking the ramp and this was not something I’d ever previously been asked for before on any journey with any train company so it wasn’t information I was willing to suddenly have to give.

Birmingham New Street to Euston to Uxbridge

I arrived at the New Street assistance reception 20 minutes before the train and was taken to the platform and put on the train with a ramp by assistance. There are no wheelchair space reservations allowed on West Midlands Trains (operator for this leg of the journey) but luckily there was a free wheelchair space for me to occupy. The catch was that it was next to the toilet, which is interesting when the toilet door slams every 10 minutes and you have a ridiculous startle reflex like mine. When it came time to get off the train, I had a short wait for assistance before the ramp turned up, then it was time to head for the Tube. Specifically, I headed for Euston Square. I made my way through a gate line and to the platform to find there were no staff anywhere to call ahead to Uxbridge and confirm I could disembark. The only staff member I could see was stood at a gate line which was up some stairs, which meant I had to sit at the bottom of said stairs and shout for assistance (it’s a good job I’ve learned to yell loudly over the years). However, the staff member did inform that the wheelchair access at Euston Square was only in one direction so in order to make the return journey for my train home I’d have to go on to Kings Cross on the Metropolitan line and then come back on myself, oh if only the return journey was that simple!

Indigo At The O2 Access Review

Tickets

Initially, I phoned Indigo At The O2 for a wheelchair space ticket and carer ticket for Cage Warriors 111 and was told there were none left, with no mention of possible single wheelchair space tickets being available. Of course, as is standard in 2020, I headed to Twitter to express my disappointment at not being able to secure a ticket. I was particularly disappointed as there was a specific fighter (shout out Paddy Pimblett) who I was desperate to see fight live (and still am). That tweet kind of exploded and gained reaction in a way I never expected with many people trying to help me out (shout out, Paddy, Molly McCann and MMA Twitter for helping me secure an answer and a ticket from the venue). Through this reaction, I was put in touch with the venue who were able to tell me there was a single wheelchair space (no carer) ticket left for what I believe was the venue’s only access platform. Forget Cinderella shall go to the ball, Em shall go to the fights!

Travel

Travel was pretty similar to all my other trips to the O2 complex. I took the Metropolitan line from Uxbridge to Wembley Park with no ramp used, although they do have ramps. I could have used Finchley Road but they refused as it would be “easier” to use Wembley Park (easier on them I assume). I then went from Wembley Park to North Greenwich on the Jubilee line and was met off the tube and guided out of North Greenwich station. On the way back into the station post event, I was bumped and barged repeatedly whilst queuing to enter the station and on my way through the station. I then HAD to get on the busiest tube out of North Greenwich to make sure I didn’t miss the last Metropolitan line train out of Wembley Park towards Uxbridge. This meant I had to sit in the middle of the train not in the designated wheelchair space (because people were stood there). THAT meant I had to just lock my arm straight to hold onto the central pole and steady my chair in case it slid around. My arm was also repeatedly leant on to the point I thought my joints might dislocate. Thankfully I made the last Metropolitan line from Wembley to Uxbridge and then had a short wait for the ramp at Uxbridge.

Experience & Seating

On arrival at the venue, I went through a ticket check and was then led to my seat on the platform. In terms of view, I had probably one of the best views of fighter walkout that I’ve ever had, with fighter walkout being immediately to my left, I was, however, a little further back than I have been for other shows in terms of view into the cage. There was also only the one small platform which meant it was quite packed and full. I did hear an assistance staff member say the platform was “not meant for so many big wheelchairs” which baffled me completely because wheelchair dimensions had never been mentioned when I bought my ticket and, let’s face it, if access is only accessible for those with certain sizes or types of mobility aids, it’s not REALLY access. The good thing about this platform was it was right next to an accessible toilet which meant toilet trips didn’t involve trekking across the venue.

*July 2022 Update: This recent visit in July 2022 was a significantly less accessible experience in terms of the view. This was because the big screen next to the accessible platform was COVERED BY A CURTAIN (screen still actually showing the fights, we just couldn’t see because curtain). See below for what I mean. This meant that I had no view of a portion of the fights as the platform wasn’t positioned for a clear view of the whole cage and the big screen (which I would have used when I couldn’t see a section of the cage) was covered by this curtain. Whilst this was an annoyance for me, I was particularly thinking of those attendees who might be low vision (like my friend Alex) or short sighted and so have trouble seeing the cage from this distance. Having the screen NOT covered by this curtain would have meant they could use the view from the screen to better understand what was going on in the cage, leading to a more accessible and more overly enjoyable experience.

Photo Credit: Alex Ramzan. Image Description: View from the accessibility platform. A curtain covering a large portion of the big screen which is to the left of the access platform.

March 2024 Update: On my recent visit back to the Indigo for Cage Warriors 169, staff informed me that the ramp to the access platform had changed and was now wider and a little bit steeper. The actual platform itself hasn’t gotten any wider though as it was still as overpacked and tight as it usually is. Maybe the wider ramp was requested, but I personally didn’t see any improvement or difference. The one positive improvement was that the barrier in front of the platform is now solid panels (instead of the bars you can see in the above photo). This meant those stood on the floor below the platform couldn’t sneak their arms through and use the platform to store their drinks on, which is something that always bothered me somewhat.

Tube, Bus & Train Return

For the beginning of my return journey back to Birmingham, there were maintenance works on Metropolitan line between Wembley Park and Aldgate. That meant that my journey back to Euston was as follows: Metropolitan line from Uxbridge to Wembley Park, then the Jubilee line from there to Bond Street, THEN the Central from there to Tottenham Court Road and finally a bus to Euston station. I made myself known at the Euston assistance desk and was then told to make my own way to the platform. I waited there and was then met by assistance staff who used a ramp to put me on the train. As per my usual gripes with Virgin Trains, there was a tight corridor and door to navigate to make it to my seat, but there was more space in the wheelchair space than I expected given how insistent they were about knowing my wheelchair dimensions prior to my attempted assistance booking. Once I arrived back at New Street, I was taken off the train pretty immediately and was able to wheel away out of the station and back to university accommodation.

I hope this shows my adventures as a wheelchair user for a weekend in the capital for the fights. Thanks as always to Cage Warriors for putting on a brilliant show and I can’t wait to be back in March for CW113

Stay Invincible!

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels)

Eurovision 2023 Trains (London Northwestern Railway and Mersey Rail) and Hotel (Travelodge Wallasey New Brighton)

Photo Credit: Lizzie Iles Image Description: Emma and Lizzie's view from M & S Bank Arena wheelchair seating section 5 for Eurovision. The entire stage is visible and lit in a bright pattern. There is a screen at the back of the stage counting down to the start of the show. The crowd fills the entire arena.

Back with another accessibility review, this time for Eurovision 2023 back in May. I’ll be focusing on our train journeys (with London Northwestern Railway and Mersey Rail) and the hotel (Travelodge Wallasey New Brighton). I have previously reviewed the Eurovision venue (Liverpool M&S Bank Arena) and did add in some Eurovision specific points to that review. 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as an electric wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

Trains 

The tickets to Liverpool were booked via Trainline and the assistance was booked via the Passenger Assistance App. As my friend Lizzie and I were travelling together and are both wheelchair users I thought this might be tricky. But there were two wheelchair spaces opposite each other on our trains to and from Liverpool so that was simpler than expected.  

When we arrived in Liverpool we discovered that, due to closures for Eurovision, Mersey Rail was not running from Liverpool Lime Street or James Street. So, we headed over to Liverpool Central to catch the train. Once we arrived, we got our Mersey Rail travel cards and let the staff know where we wanted to go. I was impressed with Mersey Rail assistance as it seemed to very much be a Turn Up and Go system which allowed us to travel just like everyone else. The only problem with Mersey Rail was that there’s just one wheelchair space (at least on the New Brighton line we were travelling on). This meant I took the wheelchair space and Lizzie parked in the aisle, but it would have been preferable for us both to be parked in wheelchair spaces. 

Hotel 

We stayed at the Travelodge Wallasey New Brighton and booked and accessible room online.  One major point is that the hotel is down a big hill if you’re coming from New Brighton station so you may want to factor that in. The accessible room was a standard accessible room with wet room and was good quality with everything we needed. Well except adequate plug points, but we were expecting that as 2 wheelchair users travelling together with technology as well, so we brought an extension cable. My one major issue with the hotel was that there was just one lift, and it was a small one. This meant we had to travel separately each time using the lift and also left me wondering what we would do in the event that the lift broke down. 

Overall, I enjoyed this trip and would happily use both train companies and stay at this particular hotel again. 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels)

Coventry Building Society Arena Accessibility Review

Image Description: View from accessible seating at Coventry Building Society Arena. The stage is visible in front and slightly to the left of the seating, with a large crowd in the standing area in front of it. The stage has a large video screen either side and the word 'Monkeys' written in white text on the front of a roof section covering it. On the stage, there are some background artwork pieces.

Back with another accessibility review. This time for Coventry Building Society Arena from my visit to see Arctic Monkeys in May 2023. 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as an electric wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

Ticket Buying 

Ticket buying was a little more convoluted this time. I called and bought a wheelchair space and carer ticket over the phone. I was then told to make an online membership account and send in my proof of disability with my membership number and that the carer ticket and accessibility would THEN be attached to my account. The membership account seemed unnecessary as I could have just sent my documentation to an email address the same way I do with many venues. 

Travel 

The travel for this show was also overly complicated due to train strikes. I first took a long bus from Birmingham to Coventry to get to my hotel. This was Premier Inn Coventry City Centre Earlsdon Park and was a standard accessible room with wet room. There was nothing to really shout about but no complaints either. From my hotel I took a shorter bus from Coventry itself specifically to the arena. 

Experience & Seating 

The first thing I noticed once walking to our seats was that there was actually a fair distance between our entrance gate into the arena and the entrance to our seat section. This seemed to defeat the purpose of accessible seating somewhat as I would expect the accessible seating to be nearer to the entrance gate in order to make it accessible for those who cannot walk long distances. We actually had good seats with a good view. There was also an accessible toilet next to our seating block which had to be opened with a radar key (which stewards will have if you don’t have your own key) 

Once the show was over, we headed out to find my friends who were going to drop me back to the hotel in accessible van. However, the lack of lighting and signage made it very difficult to find each other. 

Overall, the word I would use to describe the accessibility at the venue is convoluted. Everything just seemed to have an extra layer of difficultly involved that did not need to be there, particularly the membership account requirement for access tickets. 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels) 

Utilita Arena Cardiff Accessibility Review

Image Description: Emma's view from accessible seating at the Utilita Arena Cardiff. The floor standing section is visible below the balcony, with a crowd of fans in front of the stage. The stage itself is light in a pink/purple hue and looks cloudy as though smoke machines have just been tested

Back with another accessibility review. This time for Utilita Arena Cardiff (or Cardiff International Arena as it was when I visited) from seeing Dermot Kennedy there in April 2023 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as an electric wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

Ticket Buying 

I initially called the venue as I had presale but couldn’t access it via Ticketmaster. However, after finally getting through Ticketmaster on general sale day, I had my tickets for Box Office collection. 

Travel and Hotel 

The travel and hotel part of this is fairly standard to me as Cardiff is somewhere I go quite often. The train journey was from Birmingham New Street to Cardiff Central with Cross Country and was straightforward. The Cross-Country trains to Cardiff are significantly lower than their other trains so I didn’t even have my usual Cross Country ramp issues. From the train station I headed to my usual hotel (Ibis Budget Cardiff Centre) which I have reviewed previously. 

Experience & Seating 

As I said earlier, my tickets were box office collection, so the first port of call was to head to the arena to pick up paper tickets for the first time in A WHILE. When it came time to enter the arena. I was given a wristband and then sent up in a lift with directions to my seat. The seat ended up being a balcony seat. It was a way back towards the back of the arena, but I still got a good view of Dermot and the whole stage setup. There were accessible toilets, but they were a little way away outside of the actual venue room, so try and time toilet breaks if there are specific songs you don’t want to miss. I also made use of the at seat drink service. This was quite useful as I could avoid leaving the room during the show, particularly as things such as going to the bar generally take me longer as a disabled person. 

Overall, I found Utilita Arena Cardiff (formerly Cardiff International Arena) to be quite accessible and would return.  

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels) 

KK’s Steel Mill Wolverhampton Accessibility Review

Photo and Image Description Credit: Lizzie Iles. Image description: Photo from the access platform for Starset at KK Steel Mill on 2nd March 2023. Side-angle view of the stage, backlit by blue and purple light. The lead singer is silhouetted in profile, holding a mic with a Star logo outlined in pink light behind him. There are speakers and lighting rigs hanging from the ceiling and the side of the stage. Fans are silhouetted in front of the stage.

Back with another accessibility review. This time for KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton from my visit to see Enter Shikari in February 2023 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as an electric wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

Ticket Buying 

Ticket buying was fairly simple as I just bought a standard ticket online and emailed the venue to turn it into a wheelchair and carer ticket. 

Travel 

Travel was a train from Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton. We ended up having to miss a couple of trains whilst waiting for assistance which was irritating. From Wolverhampton station it was a 25-minute ish walk to the venue. 

Experience & Seating 

Once we arrived at the venue we were led through and up to a ramped section which led into the main venue area. Before you enter the main venue, area there is an accessible toilet to one side. This was a good accessible toilet, but I did notice the red emergency cord didn’t reach the floor when I went. Once we entered the venue, we were led to the access platform. It was quite a large platform but the ramp up was quite steep. It’s also worth noting that, based on the experiences of my friends who are wheelchair users and have attended other shows at the venue (such as the one in the feature photo at the top of this post), the size and location of the access platform can vary from show to show.  

I must give a shout out to the staff on the access platform that night who were very attentive and helpful in making sure I had the best night. 

But the biggest shout out must go to Rou Reynolds (lead vocalist of Enter Shikari) who appeared on the access platform at one point to sing part of a song. This was one of my highlights of the entire year. It’s very rare that artists interact with those of us in access seating or bring us into the show in any way (I don’t think it helps that access platforms are often at the back of venues). So having Rou on the access platform for a part of the show really made feel seen and like I was actually part of the audience. It was something I will never forget, and I really appreciated that part of the show. 

Overall, I found KK’s Steel Mill to be very accessible and would happily return for another show. 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels) 

Cage Warriors 153 (Birmingham – Dublin Ryanair flight, Plaza Hotel Tallaght, 3Arena Dublin Accessibility Review)

Photo Credit: Alex Ramzan. Image Description: View from level 2 accessible seating at the 3Arena Dublin. A large crowd is visible and bathed in blue light. They are all watching the MMA action in the cage, which is under spotlight in the middle of the arena. There are also 3 large screens (one to the right, centre and left of the arena) which are showing the in cage action.

Finally, back with another Cage Warriors accessibility review. This time I’ll be reviewing Cage Warriors 153 from April 2023 including the Ryanair flight from Birmingham to Dublin, The Plaza Hotel Tallaght and, of course the accessibility at the 3Arena venue. 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as a manual wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

Flight 

Booking the flights was simpler than I expected. I booked the flight via the website and then requested special assistance to be taken through the airport and to/from my seat (it’s called option WCHC). I believe I also added in that I was travelling with my own manual wheelchair somewhere on the form. 

The first part of flight day was travel TO the airport.  It was just a quick 20 train (maybe 20 minutes tops), and I booked the tickets via Trainline and the assistance via the passenger assistance app. Once we arrived at the airport train station, we had to take a little shuttle tram to the actual airport. This was not my favourite bit as I constantly felt like my chair was going to slide across the carriage.  

Once we arrived at the airport, we headed down to check in, only to find we didn’t actually have to go there as we had no checked bags and had already checked in online, we didn’t need to be there, and I think even my wheelchair was tagged at a later stage. We were then sent to a special assistance desk where we said we could make our own way to the gate. We were then sent down in a lift, which had dodgy buttons that you had to press in a certain order to get the doors to close, to security. Whilst we didn’t receive any assistance in security at Birmingham Airport, there was a special assistance lane at security which allowed us to get through a little quicker. We then went to find food and the toilets after being told to be at our gate an hour before for assistance. 

We did arrive at the gate an hour before but, unsurprisingly, assistance did not. In fact, assistance barely turned up at all and had to be contacted twice to come and assist me onto the plane.  We were then taken in an ambulift to the plane. This is a small van that rises to meet the plane door and it was here that I transferred from my chair into the aisle chair to enter the plane. All the messing about with assistance meant that we board last (instead of first like we’re supposed to) and my companion Alex wasn’t even allowed to fold my wheelchair before we left it, so I just had to hope assistance didn’t fold the chair wrong and break it. Boarding last also meant that I had to transfer from the aisle chair to my plane seat with a plane full of passengers watching which was embarrassing. 

On arrival at Dublin, it was a fairly simple process through the airport, with a stop at the most spacious accessible toilet I think I’ve ever seen, before we headed out into the queue for a taxi. 

We were asked by staff manning the taxi queue whether we needed an accessible taxi, and I said ideally yes but my chair did fold so a standard taxi would suffice if an accessible taxi was going to take a while. We were led to an accessible taxi; I was wheeled up the ramp and had all the proper wheelchair restraints applied to my chair and a belt for myself. It was the safest I think I’ve ever felt travelling in a taxi as a wheelchair user. 

Hotel 

We stayed at The Plaza Hotel in Tallaght.  I simply booked online and added a comment that we would need a wheelchair accessible room or, at the very least, a room on the ground or lower floors. When we arrived at the hotel, we checked in and were directed to the lift and told our keycard would take us to the right floor without pressing any buttons. I did immediately notice that there seemed to be just the one lift, which made me wonder what the contingency plan is for disabled guests if that one lift breaks down. On arrival in the room, we found complimentary water and a smart TV, both nice perks that we weren’t expecting. 

Photo Credit: Alex Ramzan. Image Description: Hotel Room at the Plaza Hotel Tallaght. Two beds with white bedding are in the middle of the room with a bedside table bedside each bed. There is a window with the curtains open on the right hand side of the room. In front of the window is a table and high backed chair. There is also a desk and chair next to the bedside table on the right hand side of the room. 3 pieces of art hang on the walls above the bed.

The next morning, we headed into Dublin itself. Whilst the hotel was quite far out, we were close to the Luas system which I found to be very accessible. We bought day tickets on the platform whilst the train approached and then I was able to easily board at the designated accessible boarding point and roll straight into a wheelchair space. 

I did find the more we got into town that there were a lot of cobbles but those aren’t a new phenomenon to me. Particularly in the area around the famous Temple Bar (I know, I know tourist, but it HAD to be done). One thing I did notice was the lack of accessible bathrooms in the pubs we were in, but then again accessible toilets in pubs are also an issue at home, so I guess that’s no different. 

Venue 

And now to my usual content, the 3Arena Dublin venue access review. Getting tickets was actually simpler than expected as I just order access tickets via Ticketmaster and then sent in proof of disability when requested via an email link. On arrival at the venue, we were led straight through the queue and to the accessible seating on level 2. These were good seats for a view of the whole arena. Cage Warriors is all about the atmosphere, so I appreciated being able to view that whole atmosphere. There were also a number of large screens which I knew would be useful when we couldn’t see the details of the action in the cage.  

Satisfied with our seats we headed back to the ground floor for the Meet and Greet. Meet and greet complete we headed back up to our seats. A quick word for the accessible toilets were fairly standard and clean, and I believe there was at least one accessible toilet per level. 

Once the fights were over, we made our way back to the Luas for the trip back to the hotel. I have to admit I was nervous about this bit as I knew it would be busy. But credit to them, the staff made sure there was space on the Luas for me and I was able to access the wheelchair space for me. Fellow passengers also kept me safe and prevented drunk people from falling onto me. The people of Dublin were as excellent as I expected them to be. 

When we finally made it back to the hotel, the hotel staff were able to prebook us an accessible taxi to take us back to the airport the next morning. An accessible taxi DID turn up, I was well secured in the vehicle as I had been on the way to the hotel, and we made it back to the airport for our flight home. 

A quick couple notes on the return trip back to Birmingham. Firstly, a note about the return airport assistance from Dublin to Birmingham. It was largely the same (including boarding last unfortunately). Except they DID tag my wheelchair at the check in desks, oh and they lost my wheelchair for about 10 minutes upon landing at Birmingham (It was on the ground next to the plane instead of in the ambulift where it was meant to be).  We also bought the train tickets for the trip from the airport back to Birmingham on the day once we made it out of the airport, which means the assistance wasn’t prebooked either. On arrival at New Street, we were left stranded with no assistance, so much so that Alex had to disembark and find assistance himself. But I wouldn’t see any link between not prebooking assistance and it not arriving, because I am left stranded just as often when I DO book assistance 

Overall, I really enjoyed my first trip to Dublin and, other than the issues with flying that I was already expecting, found it to be more accessible than expected. I would love to return and in fact PLAN to return in April of this year (2024) for Cage Warriors 170, although I may not be flying this time. 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman On Wheels) 

Ipswich Corn Exchange Accessibility Review

Image Description: Emma's view from the access area at Ipswich Corn Exchange. There is a large crowd beyond the barrier in front of Emma. Microphones are just visible on stage above the crowd

Back with another accessibility review. This time for the Corn Exchange in Ipswich from my visit to see Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls in February 2023. 

 

(Disclaimer: I’m aware “accessibility” means different things to different people, as I said before, these are MY views on my experience of accessibility at this venue as a manual wheelchair user, I obviously can’t speak for others experiences but feel free to add your experiences in the comments!)  

 

Ticket Buying 

 

The ticket buying process was fairly simple as I just rang the access line listed on the website and booked a wheelchair space and carer ticket. There was also no need to provide proof of disability documentation, which I appreciated as I don’t really like having to send documents to hundreds of venues. 

 

Travel 

 

Travel wise, I had initially planned to take multiple trains and get a hotel (and I had that all booked). However, the combination of train strikes and a wheelchair breakdown rendering me housebound without assistance meant I relied on my lovely friend with an adapted vehicle to get me to and around the show.  

 

Experience & Seating 

 

Upon arrival at the venue, we were asked to wait to one side and then taken to a separate entrance and up in a lift. We weren’t allowed to operate this lift ourselves and so had to have someone in the lift with us specifically to operate it. It was just a standard platform lift I believe so nothing complicated but having someone else in the lift definitely made it a bit tight for space.  

 

When we made it into the venue, I noted that we were on the flat floor section but there was a specific access seating section with barriers. I also became immediately aware that the height of the stage plus the position of the access section meant that there was no way to see the stage unless you were on the front row of the section. My friend managed to squeeze me onto the front row for Frank’s set but obviously there are only so many spots on that front row of the access section, which means some in that section would not be able to have a view of the show. 

 

Also, a word on the accessible toilet situation, there is one, but it is in another platform lift and down a level from the main show room. So, you might want to try and time any toilet breaks in between bands so you can get to the back of the room, down in the slow lift and back up and back through the crowd so that you don’t miss anything. 

 

Overall, Ipswich Corn Exchange is a good venue, but it loses points for the obstructed view from the access area. As is becoming a theme of the reviews in 2024: Accessibility isn’t just about getting INTO the venue, disabled concertgoers deserve the full concert experience, which includes a decent clear view of the stage. 

 

Stay Invincible! 

Em (Invincible Woman on Wheels)