In my last article I wrote about some of the places that I had visited where Changing Places Toilets (CPTs) were not working. I’m really happy to report that I have been on outings during the autumn where I’ve have much better experiences!
At the beginning of October I had a trip to Drusillas Zoo with my two PAs, Jo and Brenda. It was a lovely sunny day and the drive was easy with no horrible traffic jams round Worthing! The zoo is very accessible with lowered viewing points at all the animal enclosures. We loved all the different breeds of miniature monkeys and were fascinated to find out that in the USA a charity called Helping Hands provides Capuchin monkeys as trained helpers for Quadriplegic individuals, to assist them with daily activities such as getting something to eat or drink, or retrieving dropped or out of reach items. I’m not sure what my dogs would think about that!
The Changing Places is located in the middle of the park, near the Adventure Playground. We got a bit lost and had to ask a member of staff to show us the way and she even went in to check it had been cleaned…it was sparkling and smelt just like a swimming pool! There was loads of space and a beautiful zoo mural on the wall by the bed. The only feature I found a bit disconcerting was that the basin and mirror were opposite the loo!
We had lunch in the warm sun and met up with Jo’s daughter who works there. Then we continued the animal route and were amazed at how huge the Giant Anteaters were! I absolutely loved watching the baby Capybaras feeding from their mummy and how they live happily with the beavers.
The biggest highlights of the day were walking through the Lemur enclosure and seeing them being fed – one came and sat on the fence right beside me! Finally before going home we got to feed the Rainbow Lorikeets. We held tiny pots of nectar and one little bird flew over and landed on my hand. Very quickly all three of us were covered in them and they perfectly matched my colourful cardigan (front cover photo)!
Later in October, I took a train to London with Jo and my mum to meet a friend we met on our holiday with Limitless Travel in 2019. It was the first time I had bought the tickets online and I kept having to double check my phone to make sure they were there! The PassengerAssist app is really easy for booking ramps and space on the trains; the message got through to Chichester and a friendly member of staff helped us use the lift and tunnel under the platform to get to the other side. As soon as the train pulled in, the ramp was unfolded and I got on. We enjoyed the ride to Victoria and I whizzed off onto the platform full of fast moving people! Next we got a taxi – since my last trip to London in 2022, the taxis have really improved and are electric! The ramps are built in under the floor and come out like a drawer. There seemed more space inside and we had a big sunroof. It was a 10 minute drive to the Tate Britain where we were dropped at the accessible entrance. It was great fun gliding down the big slope and inside was really spacious, and clean.
It was wonderful to see Romy again and we had lots of catching up to do after 5 years! After lunch Jo and I went to find the CPT (which was not working when I tried to use it in 2022 at the Queen’s Lying in State) and on the way we had to rush past all the Turner paintings! Luckily this time the hoist worked perfectly – we had fun trying to take a photo as I kept sliding backwards on the tracking!
Romy and I had time to look at lots of the wonderful paintings and in the last room, I discovered a painting that my sister Alexandra had studied while she was at college. It was so special to find it there and look at the details and colours which were not reproduced so vividly in her project.
We got another taxi (again easy!) back to Victoria and visited their CPT – this one is kept locked by Security and you have to ask to have it unlocked but once inside, everything worked fine. Before getting back on the train there was just time for McDonald’s chips!
These two outings were so pleasurable and I’m looking forward to repeating both trips. Good access and working CPTs are the key to fun days out, not forgetting brilliant helpers. My motto continues to be “Anything is possible with the right support!”
Lizzie Baily MBE 2024
At the beginning of October I had a trip to Drusillas Zoo with my two PAs, Jo and Brenda. It was a lovely sunny day and the drive was easy with no horrible traffic jams round Worthing! The zoo is very accessible with lowered viewing points at all the animal enclosures. We loved all the different breeds of miniature monkeys and were fascinated to find out that in the USA a charity called Helping Hands provides Capuchin monkeys as trained helpers for Quadriplegic individuals, to assist them with daily activities such as getting something to eat or drink, or retrieving dropped or out of reach items. I’m not sure what my dogs would think about that!
The Changing Places is located in the middle of the park, near the Adventure Playground. We got a bit lost and had to ask a member of staff to show us the way and she even went in to check it had been cleaned…it was sparkling and smelt just like a swimming pool! There was loads of space and a beautiful zoo mural on the wall by the bed. The only feature I found a bit disconcerting was that the basin and mirror were opposite the loo!
We had lunch in the warm sun and met up with Jo’s daughter who works there. Then we continued the animal route and were amazed at how huge the Giant Anteaters were! I absolutely loved watching the baby Capybaras feeding from their mummy and how they live happily with the beavers.
The biggest highlights of the day were walking through the Lemur enclosure and seeing them being fed – one came and sat on the fence right beside me! Finally before going home we got to feed the Rainbow Lorikeets. We held tiny pots of nectar and one little bird flew over and landed on my hand. Very quickly all three of us were covered in them and they perfectly matched my colourful cardigan (front cover photo)!
Later in October, I took a train to London with Jo and my mum to meet a friend we met on our holiday with Limitless Travel in 2019. It was the first time I had bought the tickets online and I kept having to double check my phone to make sure they were there! The PassengerAssist app is really easy for booking ramps and space on the trains; the message got through to Chichester and a friendly member of staff helped us use the lift and tunnel under the platform to get to the other side. As soon as the train pulled in, the ramp was unfolded and I got on. We enjoyed the ride to Victoria and I whizzed off onto the platform full of fast moving people! Next we got a taxi – since my last trip to London in 2022, the taxis have really improved and are electric! The ramps are built in under the floor and come out like a drawer. There seemed more space inside and we had a big sunroof. It was a 10 minute drive to the Tate Britain where we were dropped at the accessible entrance. It was great fun gliding down the big slope and inside was really spacious, and clean.
It was wonderful to see Romy again and we had lots of catching up to do after 5 years! After lunch Jo and I went to find the CPT (which was not working when I tried to use it in 2022 at the Queen’s Lying in State) and on the way we had to rush past all the Turner paintings! Luckily this time the hoist worked perfectly – we had fun trying to take a photo as I kept sliding backwards on the tracking!
Romy and I had time to look at lots of the wonderful paintings and in the last room, I discovered a painting that my sister Alexandra had studied while she was at college. It was so special to find it there and look at the details and colours which were not reproduced so vividly in her project.
We got another taxi (again easy!) back to Victoria and visited their CPT – this one is kept locked by Security and you have to ask to have it unlocked but once inside, everything worked fine. Before getting back on the train there was just time for McDonald’s chips!
These two outings were so pleasurable and I’m looking forward to repeating both trips. Good access and working CPTs are the key to fun days out, not forgetting brilliant helpers. My motto continues to be “Anything is possible with the right support!”
Lizzie Baily MBE 2024
