Rock Up And Roll

The Doors in Camden

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:13:55 +0100

I recently had a couple of hours to kill and decided to take the delightful Miss G to the new Doors photographic exhibition in Camden. Even though Jim Morrison was long gone when I was born it only took one chance hearing of Break on Through for me to be hooked on The Doors’ music. In fact I would go as far as to say that L.A Woman is my all time favourite song and many others would easily get in to an album of songs that I had to play on repeat until the end of time if I was stranded on a desert island.

The exhibition is in the Proud Galleries in Camden, North London and is a collection of photographs charting the beginning, middle and end of the band http://www.proud.co.uk/exhibition-The-Doors-of-Perception_75.aspx. The photos were taken by photographers Bobby Klein, Guy Webster and Frank Lisciandro and give a stunning insight into what life in the band was like, particularly the ones of Morrison, where he always looked on the verge of being unhinged.

Whilst I loved looking at the photos I was I’m afraid left disappointed and wanting a bit more. They are undoubtedly fantastic photos and do give an insight. However, there are no descriptions alongside the photos and I was left trying to give my own narrative and commentary based on the information I have gleamed from biographies, the off the mark Oliver Stone biopic and the wonderful When You’re Strange documentary, narrated by Johnny Depp. I was also a bit perplexed as to why the venue has decided to play songs by The Clash, Hendrix, The Stone Roses pretty much anyone but The Doors, when you are wandering around, which might have been an idea to add to the atmosphere.

Proud Galleries itself is also a bit disappointing. I’d heard great things about it as a live music venue and bar. It might be because it was during the day but it had the unfortunate air of feeling like an empty student union with the lingering aroma of stale ale. I am though prepared to reserve judgement until I have been in the evening. Wheelchair access is ok and there is a loo but be prepared to push up a fairly steep ramp to get in the venue and get ready to do battle with a bucket load of cobbles once inside.

The great outdoors just got a bit greater

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:07:17 +0100

Hello dear blog readers. I’m going to let you in on a few secrets. I love the outdoors, I love the cinema, I love the film Memento, I’m a big fan of my mate Dave and I love Greenwich. So you can imagine my happiness when the wonderful pop up cinema, Nomad, came to Greenwich recently.

Apart from the fact it was a bit chilly it was a particularly great way to spend a Friday evening sat in the grand surroundings of the Trinity Music College, watching the sun go down over Canary Wharf and the Thames whilst watching Memento on a great big ruddy screen. I’d go as far as to say it was pretty flipping groovy. Nomad have been popping up all over London this summer showing damn great films. In fact I will be back in Greenwich next month to watch the wonderful Wall E, which I am unashamed to say always brings a tear to the eye. I love that little robot.

Suffice to say Nomad is a really simple concept done well. They recommend a picnic, a blanket, some warm clothes, waterproofs just in case and in return for 12 English pounds they will do the rest. Terrific stuff. What is even better is that because it is outside the wheelchair access is great to and just for good measure they even chuck in a disabled toilet. Check them out here http://www.whereisthenomad.com/.

Ssssshhhhhh!

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:45:37 +0100

There are without question many benefits to living in London. The bright lights, vibrancy and hustle and bustle rarely disappoint and boredom is not something that is easily found. One downside though is that at times the sheer pace of the Capital can feel suffocatingingly oppressive. I have learned that if you want to make a success of living in London you have to go at your own pace and not try and keep up with everything that is happening around you. If you wanted to it really is possible to fill every minute of every day with something different and after a year you still wouldn’t have run out of things to do.

Whilst this can be rewarding I do find it difficult to find anywhere to be truly quiet. I am yet to find anywhere where it is possible to be totally alone, with only your own breath and heartbeat for company. I am fully aware that this is not to everyone’s taste but to me having time to be quiet and just sit and think and watch the world go by is massively important. Even in my flat this isn’t possible as there is always the low murmur of conversation all around, the sound of distant footsteps or the hum of traffic. This feeling is compounded by one of the frustrations I have about being in a chair and that it is tricky just to head off to the coast and find a beach to walk along or to jump in the car and head out to the country and find a hill to climb up.

Whilst we are blessed to live in such a big city and yet have incredible parks there is always someone in earshot or on hand to walk around a corner when you least expect it. Maybe I’m missing a trick and these places exist or perhaps I should just join a library or visit more museums. Who knows but I will keep looking.

Loving the lido

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:25:51 +0100

I’ve got a new favourite place and its London Fields lido in Hackney. This place is great and is amazingly accessible. This might not be in the easiest and appealing part of London to get to but it is worth the effort and the £4 to get in. To be fair it isn’t that hard to actually get to as you can get off the East London line on the overground at Haggerston or Dalston and then walk about a mile to the pool. Once there the pool itself is 50m and is heated, there is also a cafe and some outdoor seating should you want to sit in the sun and pretend not look at the people in their swimwear. It is a magnificent place. It looks like it has been recently renovated and is clean, which is a lot more than you can say for some London pools. It is also fantastic to be able to swim outdoors and being able to look up and see leaves on trees rather than strip lighting in an indoor pool gets a big Rockupandroll tick from me.

The best thing though is the accessibility. It’s all on a level access, it couldn’t be easier to get in the building and there are two changing rooms with roll-in showers. What I was most bowled away by though was the fact that you don’t need any help to get into the water. The reason being is that there is a waterproof chair which you can get on in the changing room, before heading to poolside and pushing down a ramp into the water. The chair then stays in the water at the bottom of the ramp, ready for when you want to get out. Simple, effective and liberating. I loved every minute of it.

You can get all the details you need on the pool here http://www.hackney.gov.uk/c-londonfields-lido.htm.

Is it really any of your business?

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:38:00 +0100

Yesterday I made the short trip to Reading to speak at the Zoggs UK conference. Zoggs are supporting the Channel Swim event for the spinal injuries charity Aspire and I had been invited along to talk about life with a spinal cord injury and how Aspire can help people like me. I was made to feel really welcome by Zoggs and hopefully I got the message across about how important it is that they get behind this event. I was also pleased to find out that Paddington station is great for wheelchair access and that the staff at that station and at Reading are really helpful.

I was delighted to round the day off at BBC Television Centre as a member of the audience for a live recording of Shooting Stars. I am overjoyed to say that it is every bit as madcap, harebrained and wonderful as you would expect.

However, the day ended on a sour note when on the way home I was grilled twice by random strangers about why I am in a wheelchair.

The first was by a drunk at a bus stop and with a swift rebuke he was soon on his way. The second instance was more upsetting and took place when I was in a cab. To say I was grilled on me and my chair would be an understatement. We hadn’t even set off before he was asking me why I was in a chair. On and on he went for over half an hour and his questions ranged from how I managed to get through each day, to whether I could work, how much I earn, what London is like for someone in a chair, if I have a girlfriend and the icing on the cake if I can still have sex!?!?

I’m used to people asking me if I need a hand when getting in the car or doing the shopping and annoying as this can sometimes be I know people are only trying to be helpful. Asking questions like the ones that came out of the cabby’s mouth are a different thing entirely. What gives people the right to ask questions of such a personal nature just because I’m in a wheelchair? If I was a gay guy being asked how I had sex or if I was massively overweight and I was asked why I was fat it would simply not be tolerated. So again I ask why is it ok to grill me on a subject that is massively personal and to be honest is nothing to do with anybody other than myself and the people close to me. The sad thing is though this is not a random occurrence and shockingly happens more often than you would think.

I've found heaven and there wasn't a cloud in sight

Thu, 19 May 2011 20:51:44 +0100

Some people think that heaven is a place where beautiful people, dressed in white, sit on fluffy clouds strumming away on golden harps. Well I can tell you that I’ve seen heaven and sadly there are no clouds or harps oreven a big bloke with a beard. The truth is I found heaven when I went to the Gluten Free and Allergy Show at the Kensington Olympia and its a magnificent place. Don’t believe me? Then read on and be convinced.

I am not ashamed to say that the few hours I spent at the show were filled with unbridaled joy at the realisation that literally everything on display and in the cafes i could eat. It took a while for this to dawn on me and when it did the wallet soon came out. Don’t worry unless you share with me a diet spent examining food labels, looking wistfully at cake counters and pining for a decent bacon buttie then I don’t expect you to share my joy. If you do, then i can feel your excitement from here.

The exhibition itself was a mix of stalls selling products, cooking demonstrations and educational seminars. At first I told myself I wasn’t going to spend any money and I was just going to learn about new products and stockists. How naive. Once I got there and started tucking into the free samples that promise went flying straight out the window as you can see from the photos of my purchases below. It was great to wander around and see the happiness on people’s faces as they did the simplest things such as trying a slice of white bread, taking a hearty glug of beer or in my case buying a full on, belly filling Cornish Pastie.

Pasties aside other particular highlights for me included a company called Stewed which makes food pots like the Innocent range, a range of cereals that don’t taste like three day old scabs and slightly niche but great nonetheless a brand new membership to the IBS Network, a national charity set up to help people with IBS. Fear not I’ve listed a selection of websites below from some of the stalls that I was most excited about.

In terms of wheelchair access I was chuffed to find that the District Line on the London Underground from Westminster to Earls Court is pretty accessible. Bear in mind though that you do need to get a bunk on and off the train if you can’t negotiate a step independently in a wheelchair. Once at Earls Court the Olympia is only a 15 minute push and once there the venue is fairly accessible with lifts dotted about the place to get you up and down the various levels. There is also a loo and the ticket counter is at a decent height.

So as promised, get ready to feel your heart beat quicken and your palms to get sweaty. Some of the most exciting websites I have seen in years are listed below and unlike some sites that will provoke similar sensations these are work friendly and will not require you to delete your history if you share a laptop or computer.

http://www.theibsnetwork.org
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/script/home.html http://www.bakedtotaste.co.uk/
http://www.steweduk.co.uk/
http://www.glutenandwheatfree.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/wagfree#!/wagfree?sk=info
http://www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk/

I’ve also included this link even though they weren’t at the exhibition. It’s for a cupcake company based in Brixton, South London and there cakes are heart wrenchingly phenomenal http://www.mscupcake.co.uk/.

Everyone has the right to a voice

Wed, 11 May 2011 21:27:59 +0100

Today I joined thousands of other people on the Hardest Hit demo that took place around Westminster in London. The demo was organised to protest against the coalition government’s planned welfare reform bill. If you haven’t heard about the bill then don’t feel too bad because it has had very little coverage in the media, other than in the Society Guardian, which is shameful and a damning indictment on the current news agenda. The fact that there was an estimated 8000 people on the streets of London for the demo was a firm two fingers to the uninterested media and a huge thumbs up to social media sites such as Twitter which was able to be used to galvanise some of society’s most disenfranchised people to come together and show that they can have a voice. You can find out more on the Hardest Hit campaign here http://thehardesthit.wordpress.com/.

I must admit that prior to the demo I did seriously debate whether or not to attend as I didn’t know how much good it would do and if I’m honest I have been scathing on the usefulness of demos before. However, I am more than happy to eat humble pie and say how pleased I was I went. When I arrived it hit me that I wasn’t just joining the demo for me, I was joining it for the thousands of people physically unable to make it to London and be a visible presence outside Westminster. It was a privilege to be joined by my mum and disabled people their friends, families and carers. It was also great to see a demo open to all complete with accessible toilets, speeches complete with sign language and carried out in good humour despite the reason why we were all there.

The thing is I begrudgingly accept that cuts are needed to help boost the economy and I fully accept that there are people who claim benefits who have no right to. That being said what the government in their infinite wisdom are proposing to do will have long and far ranging effects on the everyday lives of disabled people. In fact it is ironic that what I witnessed today was a demo where the people involved acted with real dignity and that is the very quality that those most affected could lose if the bill goes through. The fact is that there are some people who will be terrified about having their benefits taken away from them and without the ability to access much needed support and help will essentially become housebound unable to call on the assistance they have previously received.

My preference would be for the government to focus on creating a level playing field in society by removing the barriers that stops people like myself being able to access everyday services such as dentists, restaurants, hairdressers, banks and petrol stations due to physical barriers such as steps and narrow doors. Once this has happened then by all means start looking at how changes to the benefits system can be made.

Unfinished business

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:04:00 +0100

This is not how I thought I would finish my first marathon. After four months of training and numerous blogs, miles pushed and endless bottles of Lucozade consumed I’m devastated to have to write this update and say that yesterday I was unable to complete the marathon. As you can imagine gutted does not begin to describe how I feel and this is made worse because it was due to a problem with my chair and not due to any physical issues. In fact the exact opposite is true and for the 16 miles I completed I felt great.

My problems started at around mile 11. Up until that point I was flying and absolutely loving every minute of it. I felt fantastic and was going quicker and pushing harder than I had ever done before. All the way from the start line things I had been worried about just disappeared particularly a steep descent just before mile three which I nailed so much that when I got to the bottom I punched the hair and let out a great shriek of delight. Seeing Miss G at mile four and seeing how happy she was also was amazing, as where the crowds in Greenwich. The truth is the first part of the race was everything I hoped it would be, great weather, great crowds and a massive sense of euphoria with every mile I ticked off.

The problem was as I approached mile 11 I hit one of London’s many pot holes which buckled my right rear wheel. The result of this was that it rendered the wheel useless as it jammed against the frame of my chair and wouldn’t turn. No matter what I tried I just couldn’t get the thing moving and after a lengthy delay where I tried to repair the wheel with the help of some kind paramedics it just wouldn’t work. I was told at the point I could drop out or carry on and I decided I wasn’t going to end the race there and then. So I carried on, but with each push of the wheel it became more useless and it basically felt like I was pushing with a handbrake on. To put it in context I managed five more miles but those few miles took almost double the time it took me to do the first 11. In my heart I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to finish but I was ploughing on regardless and I just wanted to get to mile 17 where I knew some of my family were waiting at the Aspire cheering point.

Unfortunately the marshals pulled me from the race at mile 16 and I had to wait by the side of the road for two hours waiting to be put in a transit van to be taken to another vehicle which then took me to a hotel in Kensington to collect my day chair. This is not what I thought would happen and I tried so hard to finish the full distance, I even asked if I could collect my day chair and return to the point I had problems and then finish the race under my own steam. I wasn’t even able to do this and so after months of training I didn’t get to see the finish or collect a medal. This was made even worse as I had to travel home on the tube surrounded by euphoric runners proudly clutching their medals.

I am putting this out there now though that this is not the end and all the support through donations, advice and kind words will not go wasted. Me and the London Marathon have unfinished business. The thing is I’m used to getting knocked down and I know what to do in these situations. You pick yourself up, dust yourself down and come back stronger. So next year I will be back and I am going to own the course, no excuses, wanting to just get round will not be good enough and I am going to train like my life depended on it and get that medal, whatever it takes.

For now though my absolute priority is to take a couple of weeks off and give Miss G the attention she deserves after spending four months being second best to my racing chair. Not once has she complained and instead has been nothing but utterly wonderful, inspirational and supportive. Without her I would never have made it to the start line never mind mile 16.

After that I will get my wheel fixed and attack the Manchester 10k with renewed vigour in a month’s time.

Only a few days until marathon day

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:50:45 +0100

I’ve just been for my last push before the marathon and a wave of nerves has just jumped up and smacked me in the face. I was doing ok until I got up to Greenwich Park and saw the preparations for Sunday being made. Who would have known that seeing a few hundred portaloos could fill someone with such fear?

It has though been a good week in terms of sponsorship. I’ve been back to the Greenwich Rotary Club and had a very kind donation from them; I’ve held a marathon themed quiz at home which through the joys of Skype I was able to get my younger brother and his girlfriend to join in; and I’ve had some great coverage in the Greenwich Time newspaper http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=mypagesuite&refresh=w03B5xK1mL14&PBID=9643820d-2df2-4db5-b9e4-58d014e535d1&skip= and on the Aspire website http://www.aspire.org.uk/aspire-marathon-team.aspx. All of this has meant I’ve been able to smash my fundraising target. But don’t let that put you off if you still want to sponsor me as you can still go to my JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/rockupandroll1.

As for the training itself I’ve really enjoyed the past few weeks where I have dropped the mileage but upped the intensity. I’m a bit worried though as all the way through my training I’ve consistently been around the six minute mile mark but over the past week I’ve been doing five and half minute miles and then tonight I went even faster and did four miles in under 20 minutes for the first time. In speed terms I’ve gone from an average of 10.6 mph to 12.1 mph. I’m worried though because if I try and do this in the marathon come Sunday I’ll be spent by the Cutty Sark.

Nerves aside though being in the park tonight was fantastic and the atmosphere was unbelievably friendly. Everyone wanted to come and have a chat including one amazing American guy on roller blades who gave me the best bit of advice I’ve had since I embarked on this adventure. In exact words his advice was; “Good luck in the marathon, kick some ass. It’s going to be a beautiful day.” And you know what I think he might be right.

Finally some steps I can enjoy

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:17:18 +0100

A recent trip to the theatre saw me take my mum to the Criterion Theatre in London’s Piccadilly Circus to watch The 39 Steps. The play is based on the adventure novel by John Buchan. Seen as there are at least five film versions of the book there is a good chance that the story will be familiar to you as it was to my mum. Whereas I have never read the book, seen the TV mini-series or any of the films so was completely in the dark with what to expect. This meant that, unlike my mum, I wasn’t baffled when it turned out that the play was a spoof with only four actors playing over 100 characters with the book’s seriousness replaced by an abundance of over the top downright silliness.

As I said my mum was most perplexed why this story that she has seen numerous times on the big and small screen was interspersed with random slapstick and it took her a while to relax and allow herself to have a good chuckle. I on the other hand thought it was an amusing way to spend the evening and rather enjoyed myself. I was particularly impressed with the way the play moved from a London flat, to the flying Scotsman, to a chase across the Scottish Highlands with only a few props and a bit of imagination.

The theatre itself was ok in terms of wheelchair access. They have good information on their website http://www.crinforiterion-theatre.co.uk/access.html but do pay heed to the advice and don’t try and get in the theatre through the front door as there is a large step. This is most annoying if you do what I did and try to collect pre-booked tickets from the box office, especially as I had to ask a willing tourist to bunk me up the step, which is a bit embarrassing to have to do in Piccadilly Circus on a Saturday afternoon. Once in the theatre though it is relatively comfortable. The view of the stage is slightly obscured but that is to be expected as you are sat on the top tier on the back row and if you want a drink or a programme you will have to ask someone to get it for you as the merchandise stand and bar is down some steps, which is apt given the name of the play on show. On the plus side there is a good sized loo and the staff are really friendly and helpful.

The finishing line is in sight

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:55:20 +0100

With just three weeks to go the London Marathon is almost here and I can’t wait. Training has gone as well as I could have hoped and since the last training entry I’ve completed two more half marathons improving my personal best each time. The races have been at Silverstone on the race course (1:15:23) and Paddock Wood in Kent (1:14:42) and both have been superb in my preparation. The biggest thing has been racing against other wheelchair athletes and seeing what they do and how they prepare before a race. I’ve also managed a 22 mile training push in 2 hours eight minutes which isn’t too far off my race pace.

I have to be honest when I got to Silverstone and saw the other 26 wheelchair racers I was petrified. I started to look at what everyone was doing, how they stretched, how they warmed up, what they did to their chair before the start of the race and even what they wore and felt horribly out of my depth. However, once the race started and I got into my rhythm I realised they were just the same as me and ended up finishing a creditable eighth. Admittedly, some of the other racers are so much quicker than me and it was a great lesson to see how they prepare and approach a race.

The second race at Paddock Wood was great as there were a large number of steep climbs and equally steep downhill bits. It is clear that if I want to progress in the sport and get better I need to be much braver going downhill. Out on the course I reached 20.5mph which is the quickest I have been but I was hitting the brake and could have gone much quicker. At the finish line I was chatting to some of the other racers and realised they were going in excess of 30mph at points and it is clear that I cannot expect to finish higher in races unless I am prepared to unleash the chair on the downhill sections.

It was also great to speak at length to a couple of guys and hear their advice about a few small things I can do which might give me a few extra seconds on the course. These include the way I sit in the chair, the way I push and the equipment I’m using. The clearest message though was that I should do London, concentrate on getting round and then start to tinker with the things to see if I can improve my performance.

Away from being out on the road I’ve been trying to learn more about how I can prepare for race day. This included going to a seminar for first time marathon runners at a running shop in London called Run and Become, http://www.runandbecome.com/, with Sam Murphy, a veteran of 15 marathons. This was a great learning experience and was tremendously reassuring especially as most of the people there looked as nervous as I did.

Sponsorship is also going well and I’m currently at £391 just under £60 shy of my target. There is of course still time to sponsor me and anyone who wants to do so can do by going to www.justgiving.com/rockupandroll1.

Getting some coverage for Aspire

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:50:00 +0000

I thought I would take this opportunity to share a couple of articles that have appeared online about me over the past couple of months. Since I did the open water swims last year I’ve had some good coverage which has been great as it helps to raise the profile of Aspire, who I swam for, and can help get a few extra pounds in towards my fundraising targets.

The first article is on the Great Swim website and is actually linked to from their home page which is a bit weird to be honest. You can read it here http://www.greatswim.org/SwimStories/Story.aspx?sid=10. The article itself is on the website to try and encourage others to take the plunge and do the swim this year. I actually feel a tiny bit fraudulent as I’m not doing the swims this year as they are just a bit too near to the marathon and my forthcoming wedding to dedicate enough time to get in some decent training.

The second article is on the Wheel Power website and is a case study on me to highlight the type of people the charity can support. Unfortunately they have decided to change my surname to Lightbrown but the rest of the article is great. Again you can read it here http://www.wheelpower.org.uk/WPower/index.cfm/blogs/stephen-lightbrown/.The funny thing is the article itself was written when I first got my chair and its amusing to read a quote from myself saying how hard it was to do two miles. With the marathon now less than four weeks away I’m pleased to say that it has got slightly easier to chug my way round two miles.

Oh and don’t forget there is another website I currently can be found on and that is my JustGiving page. Please do sponsor me if you can by going to www.justgiving.com/rockupandroll1.

A harrumph to London

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:46:42 +0000

The big smoke is undoubtedly a great place to live but sometimes I have to be honest it gets on my wick. Today without doubt was one of those days. I woke slightly excited as I was heading up to the Emirates Stadium, the new home of Arsenal FC, for a work event. If you are a wheelchair user the best way to get to the Emirates is on the over ground via the newly extended East London line to Highbury and Islington and then it is about a ten minute push to the ground. This would have been ok had it not been pouring with rain.

Once I got to the ground I had to make my way to the Royal Oak Suite. The problem is the signage at the Emirates is terrible and after doing two full circuits of the ground, still in the rain, I was none the wiser where to go. So thinking I was taking a sensible approach I decided to find someone who worked at the ground and ask them for directions. It just so happens that the first person I asked was a security guard in the club shop, this was going quite well until he took me into the shop and up to the confectionary counter. It then dawned on me he was trying to find some Royal Oak wood sweets not the Royal Oak Suite. Seriously why employ people if this is the best they can do.

The thing is the worst was yet to come. Eventually I found the place I was meant to be and this is where I encountered the next problem in the form of an even more useless security guard. It turned out that the room was on the next level up from the entrance I was at and that the nearest lift was a bit of a walk away. The issue was the friendly security guard wasn’t up for walking. So instead he suggested he put me on an escalator and assured me that he would hold on tight. Naturally I declined his kind offer so he radioed a mate to escort me to the lift as he couldn’t be arsed. This is where the next problem came in as it turned out he didn’t know the English word for wheelchair and a tad embarrassingly I had to overhear the following exchange; “Colin come to the Royal Oak Suite reception I have someone in a, in a, in a…look just come to the reception.” Wonderful skills.

Fortunately I made it to the lift, the event was actually alright and the day picked up. That was until I got back to the station and realised that there was a step from the platform up to the departing train. Queue the next problem as the member of staff I asked for help had never helped anyone in a wheelchair onto a train, didn’t know there was a step, didn’t know if there was a ramp, didn’t even know what door was best to get on at and had to ask the driver what to do before succumbing and asking me how I thought I should get on the train. Ridiculous. I mean how hard is it to just buy a few ramps and have these located on station platforms. Top marks TfL.

A circus with a difference

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:49:00 +0000

You might not know this but tucked away in a little corner of Covent Garden in the heart of London is a circus. This isn’t a big top tent affair though full of scary little men, with painted faces, big shoes and red noses squirting water in each other’s faces. This is a circus with a difference as it is a restaurant called Circus which mixes cocktails, excellent food with good old fashioned cabaret. Take a look here http://www.circus-london.co.uk/.

I didn’t know what to expect as I made the trek from suburbia into central London and that was just as well as soon as we entered through the door a bloke by the cloakroom ripped his t-shirt off, shot through the door into the restaurant, sprang up onto a table surrounded by diners and then started to do a mind boggling acrobatic routine on a rather precarious looking pole. As weird as that sounds the whole place works pretty damn well.

The website says that over the course of a two hour sitting you might see between two to three acts, which is probably underselling it as we saw five. Bendy acrobatic man aside we also witnessed two bikini clad women eating fire, as you do, a bloke doing some random mime juggling robot dance type thing with a crystal ball whilst wearing some braces, a couple of other bikini clad women dangling from the ceiling in hula hoops and a Thai looking lady, covered in tattoos, dressed as Alice in Wonderland being chased by a man in a panda suit who then proceeded to take her clothes off. All whilst I was tucking into mighty fine, surprisingly filling three course meal.

If I’m not selling this, then don’t be put off as this place is awesome. The decor is really rather cool and the service is spectacularly good. Yes the menu is on the pricey side and without booze a three course meal works out at about £50 a head but the food is mighty fine and don’t forget that you are also getting a night of entertainment to boot.

If that isn’t enough the wheelchair access is simple, well thought out and to be honest pretty awesome and to make things even better they have a really varied and mouth watering selection of gluten free options on the menu. I had chicken satay skewers as a starter, an exquisite steak as a main and three super soft sorbets for dessert, washed down with pineapple juice and followed by a hot chocolate. All in all a most pleasurable evening.

Sponsor me and I’ll do another marathon a much harder marathon Ok before I start this blog I want...

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:27:00 +0000

Sponsor me and I’ll do another marathon a much harder marathon

Ok before I start this blog I want to put it out there that I HATE musicals. I mean I really really HATE them. For anyone who doesn’t know in April I will be taking part in the London Marathon and I’m hoping to raise £450 for the spinal injuries charity Aspire. As I hammered pretty much everyone I know for sponsorship last year when I did the 2k outdoor swim I know trying to raise funds again this year is going to be hard. In-fact I think it might be just as hard trying to raise the money as doing the 26 miles itself.

So I’ve been thinking and I’ve decided to do another marathon if I reach my £450 fundraising target. This marathon will not be a 26 mile effort but something much much harder. That’s right if I raise £450 I promise to sit through a musical marathon of films. That’s right if I reach my fundraising target I will make a commitment now to watch Annie, West Side Story, Oliver and the Wizard of Oz back to back.

I cannot get across just how much the prospect of that fills me with fear and loathing. I really hate musicals and any film that involves cute kids singing usually makes me want to gouge my own eyes out. I think the picture above may be a fair reflection of what I might look like at the end of the musical marathon of mayhem. So go ahead and sponsor me and I’ll live blog what will be one of the most painful events of my life www.justgiving.com/rockupandroll1.

Oh and as an extra incentive everyone who sponsors me will also get entered into a prize draw. The first name out the hat will get £20 Amazon vouchers and the second name will get £10 iTunes vouchers.

Going down the toilet

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:16:02 +0000

I’ve just realised it has been over a year since I started this blog. In that time I’ve written about a number of things from a trip to Rome to me taking part in an open water swim. As a result I thought I should make my next entry an absolute belter, a real eye opening, insightful blog, tinged with a blend of humour and wry observation. Yes this entry calls for a weighty issue to justify being chosen as the topic to celebrate a year of blogging. So after much deliberation and consternation I’ve decided to blog about a toilet.

The toilet in question is in the car park at Gatwick Airport, a more glamorous location you could not wish to find. The reason for the blog is not because of any issue to do with the toilet itself but an offending hand drier. Just remember this is a disabled toilet that I found myself in so things need to be in easy reach of the user. You are likely to find people who use wheelchairs such as myself, elderly people and maybe even people with sight difficulties. So you can imagine my surprise to find the hand drier on a wall immediately next to the toilet, which meant that anyone who wants to use it has to lean over the toilet to dry their hands. I hand little option but to use the shaky hands drying method.

What makes this even more bizarre is that on the opposite wall there is a ruddy great unobstructed space which in my own untrained toilet designing opinion would have been a far more appropriate place to put the hand drier. Bizarre very very bizarre.

I actually made the trip to the offending toilet as I was passing through the airport after getting the train there before heading off to a nearby conference venue for work. This meant that I had to get the Gatwick Express from Victoria Station in central London. On the plus side this was a great experience and far easier than I thought it would be. There is no need to book assistance in advance, all you need to do is simply turn up to the platform and there are staff on hand to give people a hand. Admittedly the ramps are quite steep but once on the train the space for a wheelchair is actually quite spacious and it is a much more relaxing way to get to the airport rather than trying to navigate the M25 car park. I even had the luxury of having the entire coach to myself. More details on travelling on the Gatwick Express can be found here https://www.gatwickexpress.com/content.asp?SID={F843B933-6E55-4172-92DB-B65DADB40971}&pageid=40

One mile nearer to London

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:07:00 +0000

Today I got one push nearer to the London Marathon after completing the Race Your Pace half marathon in 1hour 15 minutes and 44 seconds and achieved the qualifying time needed. I’m not getting too carried away though until I’ve actually had my place confirmed by London. That being said I have just celebrated with a curry and a bag of Haribo, which is a slight deviation from the post-race nutritional guidance I’ve read about in the training guides I’ve printed off.

I absolutely loved today and my time meant that I finished third overall, which I am made up with. If I’m not mistaken I was the first person to complete the course in a racing wheelchair, which of course means I also set a course wheelchair record! My training has obviously served me well as I felt great all the way round and I can’t tell you how relieved I was that there was hardly any headwind to push in to. The only slight issue is my damn blisters which are not showing any sign of going away.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly nervous when I set off from home this morning. This was partly because I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got to the event. I shouldn’t have worried though as the organisation of the race couldn’t have been better and from my point of view. It was a superb event and I couldn’t recommend it enough to any wheelchair athletes or runners wanting to prepare for London.

They set me off three minutes before anyone else and making sure I didn’t get overtaken was a great motivation in getting round in time. The other thing that was superb was the steward who cycled round in front of me and cleared runners out of my way as I made my way past backmarkers on the later laps of the race. It was also a really friendly race and I’m glad I didn’t wear my IPod so I could hear the encouragement from the runners I passed on my way round.

I was also incredibly impressed with the pre-race information and the speed in which the results were available and able to be printed off. The results are also on-line if you want to take a look http://humanrace.co.uk/race-your-pace-half-marathon-2011-performer-results. I have to say as well that the 15 minute sports massage I had at the end of the race was very welcome if not incredible painful.

Four days to race day

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:33:32 +0000

With just four days to my first half marathon in the new racing chair I thought now would be a good time for my latest training update. Since my last blog a lot has happened and I feel in great spirits. This is despite some horrendous looking blood blisters on my fingers (see above) and a knackered neck and shoulder which has required some physio. On the plus side I’ve had my first session in the rain, I’ve been to the wonderful Preston arena http://www.uclan.ac.uk/uclansport/arena/about.php, I’ve completed my longest distance of 16 miles, signed up for another half marathon in March, found a local wheelchair racing club and been for a training session at Dorney Lake in Eton, which is where Sunday’s race will take place.

I was loathe to go to the physio as I didn’t want to spend £60 to be told that I probably shouldn’t be training. In-fact what actually happened was that I was told the injury was caused by a poor posture when sat at my desk at work and some nifty but eye wateringly painful massage and a few new stretches at home has cleared the injury right up. I went to the very helpful Physio in the City at Canary Wharf http://www.physioonthewharf.co.uk/. They even tried some nifty Kinesio taping on me which as you can see from the pictures left a pretty bizarre and painful tribal kind of mark on my arm when I peeled it off.

I’m also made up with the fact that a new wheelchair racing club has started up near me in Lewisham, http://www.englandathletics.org/news.asp?itemTitle=LCDP+takes+a+leap+forward+at+Lee+Valley§ion=90&itemid=5817. Whilst I think the club is mainly aimed at youngsters trying to get into the sport I really enjoyed being down there and the coach is eager to give me what advice. She is even looking around London to see what training guidance she can find to suit my needs from other coaches and for that I’m incredibly grateful.

I actually feel pretty good about Sunday and am hopeful about being able to get the qualifying time of 1 hour 20 for the 13 miles to get into London. My training has gone about as well as it could have done and I’m really pleased to have made the effort to make it down to the venue, which coincidentally is going to be home to the Olympic Rowing in 2012 http://www.dorneylake.co.uk/index.html. BREAKING NEWS!! As I’m sat writing this blog the race organisers have just phoned me to talk through how Sunday is going to go. I’ve just been told that they will start me off 3-5 minutes before everyone else and that if the timing chip doesn’t work they will still be able to provide proof of my time. Hurrah!

The only thing I’m worried about is the wind and not the kind caused by too much cabbage. When I was at the course yesterday one side of the lake, which we will do four laps around, is protected from the wind and I was able to hit about 13 miles per hour for the long 2 mile stretch. The problem is on the other side its open to the elements and the wind was harsh. My speed dropped down to 7 miles per hour and it was an absolute killer trying to make any progress. I managed 10 miles in 1 hour 3 minutes which is not far off my race pace, so I’m hoping some much needed adrenaline will get me to the finish line in the time I need.

Feel free to send me any messages of support and I’ll let you know how I get on after the race.

Do I look like a cat?

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:30:09 +0000

Another week of training and all is going well. Today I completed 12.5 miles in 1 hour 30 minutes which by my new calculations isn’t too far from the qualifying time needed for the London Marathon. I did have it in my head that I needed to finish a half marathon in 1 hour 15 minutes which at this moment in time feels like a big ask. However, I’ve been back on the London Marathon website, http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/marathon-centre/enter-virgin-london-marathon/virgin-london-wheelchair-marathon/, and it says wheelchair entrants must be able to finish a full race distance in under 3 hours. Therefore, simple maths says if I can do a half in under 1 hour 30 minutes I should be ok.

The great thing is I feel like I still have loads left in the tank and the only thing I’m having trouble with is niggling shoulder pain. I’ve done everything I need to do to manage it. I’m applying ice gel, a hot compress, am doing extra stretching and have bought a shoulder brace which weirdly makes me look like I’m auditioning for a an extra in Gladiator. The next thing I’m going to investigate is something called Kinesio taping, http://www.kinesiotaping.co.uk/index.jsp, which is what Gareth Bales wears on his thigh and I spotted Novak Djokovic wear in his mauling of Andy Murray this morning. Apparently the taping is worn by all sorts of sport’s people and if applied correctly it provides muscle and joint support whilst still enabling a full range of movement. I’ll take that over wearing the shoulder brace I wore on Saturday whilst training which has caused a ruddy great welt on my left armpit which is a lovely thought and an even less lovely experience.

One last thing which I’m having issues with at the moment and I would love any suggestions as to how to overcome this is the fact I keep getting chased by dogs when I’m in the park. I’m starting to wonder if I look like a car or a cat when I’m out training. I’m not talking about fun chase me chase style shenanigans but teeth bearing, saliva snarling chasing which whilst it is making me push quicker is not conducive to a steady heart rate. If this carries on I might as well head to the greyhound track, dress up as a rabbit and get paid whilst I train rather than doing this for fun.

I have to be honest and say I lost it big time with a dog owner the other day who made no attempt to restrain their canine friend. I may have bared my own teeth and hurled a few expletives in their direction. I’m not against dog owners at all in fact one day I hope to be one myself but surely if you can’t keep your dog under control just keep it on a lead. I wouldn’t mind if I was stood up running but having my face so close to the ground makes it a bit unnerving when a dog is running towards me like I’m covered in Pedigree Chum.

Roll on 28 January

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:38:57 +0000

I have to be honest I debated posted this blog as I wondered if it would be a bit woe is me, so you will have to indulge me this once and forgive me for the rather downbeat tone of this post. You see tomorrow will be the 15 year anniversary of my accident and as usual the 27 January is a date that I will be glad to see the back of. The reason for this is that I know as soon as I wake up tomorrow I will start playing the day, the lead up to my accident and the aftermath over and over in my head. I also know that this will be the last year that I can say I was able to walk for more years than I’ve been in a chair. I can guarantee you now that I will do everything I can to make sure that next year when this date comes around I will be somewhere with zero chance of snow and the sun on my face.

Since my accident there has not been a day gone by that I haven’t wished I wasn’t in a chair. I cannot describe the longing I have to kick a football or to just jump out of bed and set off on my mountain bike. I miss being taller than everyone in a room and being able to run up a flight of stairs two at a time. I miss running on the beach, walking up hills, jumping up when Blackburn score a goal and doing forward rolls just because I can.

The truth is that life has been made that tiny bit harder by something as simple as me needing four wheels to get about. This is compounded by small things such as every new journey needs meticulously researching in advance, the constant paranoia brought on by the fear that random marks on my skin could lead to pressure sores and the fascination that I cause every day to people who think nothing of staring at me as a push by. Only the other day I had to ask a man in Greenwich Park to move on as he made a beeline to me and stood less than a metre away watching without saying a word whilst I made my way into my racing chair.

Don’t get me wrong I might wish that the accident had never happened but I don’t regret the way my life has turned out. I also know I am incredibly lucky to be here and without the skilled and special staff at Southport Spinal Unit I wouldn’t be. Who am I to say that I would have been compelled to push myself, no pun intended, every day and to strive to be the best I can in everything I do. There is an argument that the accident made me more determined to face life head on and I am pretty sure that I would have been less inclined to have attempted challenges such as the open water swim last year or my attempts to qualify for this year’s London marathon had I not been in a chair.

Also, for everything I miss about being in a chair there are a hundred things I am grateful for. I have a wonderful partner who every day inspires me, puts a smile on my face and from the first moment she saw me recognised the person I am and not the chair. I am also incredibly grateful for the family and friends, particularly my mum and two brothers, I have who support me and have always supported me in everything I do. I also know how lucky I am and that there are people who feel shackled by their disability because they haven’t been given the confidence by other people to live their life the best they can. After all isn’t that all any of us can wish for?