Since the last edition of Wellspring, we went into the long, muddy winter at Applefield with so many potholes on the roads! During this time, I had my usual weekly routine of going to work at school with dog walks out in the lane and only a few
other shopping trips. Now the ground has dried up; May was a great month for outings and meeting old and new friends...
At the beginning of the month I had a very wet bank holiday Monday walk at RSPB Pagham Harbour with my cousin Helena and her friend Katie who were staying along the lane from us for the weekend. The nature reserve has great accessibility with wide pathways, lots of smooth decking including over a pond and a brilliant ramp up to the hide where we watched all the water birds. Also this visit I found a lovely new woodland walk.
Both evenings they were staying we all went to supper at their AirBnB and with my ramps to get in, there was lots of space inside. It was perfect for us to go out without having to use the car - I was able to get there by myself and spend time without my parents which was great fun!
On Sunday 12th May the sun was shining all day for our first Wheely Wonders of 2024 funded by the Wellesley Charitable Foundation. It was my first proper day on the farm since my birthday in October! I loved seeing the families’ happy
faces as they drove onto the field and the children had all grown so much over the winter. The animals enjoyed having some attention alongside everyone having reunions with each other. In the woodland the children had the opportunity to do some sawing and used drills to create medals, snails and other woodcrafts with Jen and Sam before coming back
to the field for fire lighting and marshmallows. After lunch at Craft Club we found some shade and decorated flowerpots with nature magazine pictures and stickers plus colouring hanging flower decorations. I also gave everyone sweet
pea seeds to plant in their pots. We finished the afternoon with Chris North’s magic and music – David our lamb from last year came to join in too! It was extra special for me to have Isabelle and Lily as helpers for the day who both came to
my Craft Club as children.
The following week I met Helena at Gunwharf Quays as part of my 40th birthday celebrations along with my PA Jo. We went wild in the Lindt and Haribo shops and Helena updated her summer wardrobe in Crew Clothing…I resisted as I need to turn out some of my clothes first! We had an absolutely delicious lunch at Bella Italia before going up the Spinnaker Tower when
the sun broke through the grey clouds and there were spectacular views all the way to the Isle of Wight! At one point we were the only ones up the Tower which was extra special. I was braver than Helena at crossing the glass floor – just look forward, not down! Back on ground level, we went for an ice cream by the water. There are some parts of the path there that have invisible steps which is something to be aware of!
Going to the loo when you’re out is something most people take for granted, but for lots of disabled people like me, having one with a working hoist is a real game changer! When we arrived at the toilets there was a sign saying “Out of Use” so of course this was very frustrating. Helena could see a member of staff through the door but got no response from her. Jo then went to the information office to check whether all the toilets were out of use and came back confirming that the Changing Places (CPT) was open, but we had to wait to be let in, and then given the handset for the hoist as it is not kept plugged in. On our second trip to use the loo before coming home, we had to call into the office again to ask them to radio through to let us in with the handset again! My advice if you are at Gunwharf Quays is to let the office know you if need to use the CPT and make sure the handset is there ready for you!
We had a brilliant time over 5 Saturdays at my Animal themed Craft Club starting by creating mosaic pictures and decorating small pots with a jungle theme. Sewing skills were put to the test with different animal cards and colourful backgrounds and
frames were painted! Sloth door hangers were a big hit! Printing on backpacks using the garden for extra space was our busiest week! We finished by sewing our own soft toys and using stencils to create a farm scene. It was wonderful seeing so much creativity, new friendships being made and the children all becoming more confident at helping each other. Thank you to Wellspring for funding some of the places!
I have been to a Muscular Dystrophy UK meet-up at the Holiday Inn, Gatwick where it was fantastic to meet up with my friend Sarah again. It is always great comparing stories, we had some delicious food and made new friends with Stephen
and his wife Polly too. Thanks to Sarah and the organisation team, I had the use of a massive accessible bathroom with a mobile hoist which made a real difference to the enjoyment of the day! Sarah, Stephen and I are all patients at the
Royal Brompton Hospital too. Sarah and I are planning our next meet up at her house as there wasn’t enough time to catch up with everything we wanted to talk about before we got kicked out of the hotel!
During half term I went to Brooklands Park in Worthing to meet Martine and see the incredible CYCALL team in action as I have been following all their activities and progress online since they started. The weather was a bit grey and windy to start with but I was given a lovely welcome and immediately saw laughing people whizzing past on a parallel bicycle! I loved talking to Martine and Rob as well as Holly and Cam who are regular volunteers. It was amazing to see what a wide variety of cycles are available as well as all the other games and activities that are on offer while you wait for your ride. I didn’t try out the bikes but really enjoyed speeding round the track, being careful not to be mown down by the electric tricyles! While I was at the park, I also visited the recently opened Adventure Playpark. I was inspired when I read about the accessible swings in last spring’s Wellspring newsletter and was keen to try it out. I had to use my RADAR key to unlock the gate and we also needed it to release the swing lock (be careful of your fingers!). It was such an odd sensation to not be in control of my Permobil, but once I had got used to it I enjoyed it! The rest of the park was very clean with smooth pathways and it
was lovely to hear music coming from the chime bars and bells. After coming out of the park I met the new Mayor of Worthing and chatted to him about the park. I was really happy when I found out that Brooklands Park had a Changing Places but it was extremely frustrating to find the handset wouldn’t work when we went to use it! The office staff couldn’t work out what the fault was either so we had to abort that mission and went to meet my cousins at the brand new outdoor café instead! I also caught up with two of our founding Wheely Wonders families too while we were there. On the way home we stopped off at Splashpoint Leisure Centre to try their CPT only to find that their handset had been taken away for repair and not been replaced!!
Now the weather is finally warming up I’m looking forward to more accessible outings. It is so much better going out without having to wear layers of ponchos and hats! I’ll be crossing my fingers for more working hoists, including my own
outdoor one to get me in and out of my hydrotherapy pool!
Lizzie Baily MBE 2024
other shopping trips. Now the ground has dried up; May was a great month for outings and meeting old and new friends...
At the beginning of the month I had a very wet bank holiday Monday walk at RSPB Pagham Harbour with my cousin Helena and her friend Katie who were staying along the lane from us for the weekend. The nature reserve has great accessibility with wide pathways, lots of smooth decking including over a pond and a brilliant ramp up to the hide where we watched all the water birds. Also this visit I found a lovely new woodland walk.
Both evenings they were staying we all went to supper at their AirBnB and with my ramps to get in, there was lots of space inside. It was perfect for us to go out without having to use the car - I was able to get there by myself and spend time without my parents which was great fun!
On Sunday 12th May the sun was shining all day for our first Wheely Wonders of 2024 funded by the Wellesley Charitable Foundation. It was my first proper day on the farm since my birthday in October! I loved seeing the families’ happy
faces as they drove onto the field and the children had all grown so much over the winter. The animals enjoyed having some attention alongside everyone having reunions with each other. In the woodland the children had the opportunity to do some sawing and used drills to create medals, snails and other woodcrafts with Jen and Sam before coming back
to the field for fire lighting and marshmallows. After lunch at Craft Club we found some shade and decorated flowerpots with nature magazine pictures and stickers plus colouring hanging flower decorations. I also gave everyone sweet
pea seeds to plant in their pots. We finished the afternoon with Chris North’s magic and music – David our lamb from last year came to join in too! It was extra special for me to have Isabelle and Lily as helpers for the day who both came to
my Craft Club as children.
The following week I met Helena at Gunwharf Quays as part of my 40th birthday celebrations along with my PA Jo. We went wild in the Lindt and Haribo shops and Helena updated her summer wardrobe in Crew Clothing…I resisted as I need to turn out some of my clothes first! We had an absolutely delicious lunch at Bella Italia before going up the Spinnaker Tower when
the sun broke through the grey clouds and there were spectacular views all the way to the Isle of Wight! At one point we were the only ones up the Tower which was extra special. I was braver than Helena at crossing the glass floor – just look forward, not down! Back on ground level, we went for an ice cream by the water. There are some parts of the path there that have invisible steps which is something to be aware of!
Going to the loo when you’re out is something most people take for granted, but for lots of disabled people like me, having one with a working hoist is a real game changer! When we arrived at the toilets there was a sign saying “Out of Use” so of course this was very frustrating. Helena could see a member of staff through the door but got no response from her. Jo then went to the information office to check whether all the toilets were out of use and came back confirming that the Changing Places (CPT) was open, but we had to wait to be let in, and then given the handset for the hoist as it is not kept plugged in. On our second trip to use the loo before coming home, we had to call into the office again to ask them to radio through to let us in with the handset again! My advice if you are at Gunwharf Quays is to let the office know you if need to use the CPT and make sure the handset is there ready for you!
We had a brilliant time over 5 Saturdays at my Animal themed Craft Club starting by creating mosaic pictures and decorating small pots with a jungle theme. Sewing skills were put to the test with different animal cards and colourful backgrounds and
frames were painted! Sloth door hangers were a big hit! Printing on backpacks using the garden for extra space was our busiest week! We finished by sewing our own soft toys and using stencils to create a farm scene. It was wonderful seeing so much creativity, new friendships being made and the children all becoming more confident at helping each other. Thank you to Wellspring for funding some of the places!
I have been to a Muscular Dystrophy UK meet-up at the Holiday Inn, Gatwick where it was fantastic to meet up with my friend Sarah again. It is always great comparing stories, we had some delicious food and made new friends with Stephen
and his wife Polly too. Thanks to Sarah and the organisation team, I had the use of a massive accessible bathroom with a mobile hoist which made a real difference to the enjoyment of the day! Sarah, Stephen and I are all patients at the
Royal Brompton Hospital too. Sarah and I are planning our next meet up at her house as there wasn’t enough time to catch up with everything we wanted to talk about before we got kicked out of the hotel!
During half term I went to Brooklands Park in Worthing to meet Martine and see the incredible CYCALL team in action as I have been following all their activities and progress online since they started. The weather was a bit grey and windy to start with but I was given a lovely welcome and immediately saw laughing people whizzing past on a parallel bicycle! I loved talking to Martine and Rob as well as Holly and Cam who are regular volunteers. It was amazing to see what a wide variety of cycles are available as well as all the other games and activities that are on offer while you wait for your ride. I didn’t try out the bikes but really enjoyed speeding round the track, being careful not to be mown down by the electric tricyles! While I was at the park, I also visited the recently opened Adventure Playpark. I was inspired when I read about the accessible swings in last spring’s Wellspring newsletter and was keen to try it out. I had to use my RADAR key to unlock the gate and we also needed it to release the swing lock (be careful of your fingers!). It was such an odd sensation to not be in control of my Permobil, but once I had got used to it I enjoyed it! The rest of the park was very clean with smooth pathways and it
was lovely to hear music coming from the chime bars and bells. After coming out of the park I met the new Mayor of Worthing and chatted to him about the park. I was really happy when I found out that Brooklands Park had a Changing Places but it was extremely frustrating to find the handset wouldn’t work when we went to use it! The office staff couldn’t work out what the fault was either so we had to abort that mission and went to meet my cousins at the brand new outdoor café instead! I also caught up with two of our founding Wheely Wonders families too while we were there. On the way home we stopped off at Splashpoint Leisure Centre to try their CPT only to find that their handset had been taken away for repair and not been replaced!!
Now the weather is finally warming up I’m looking forward to more accessible outings. It is so much better going out without having to wear layers of ponchos and hats! I’ll be crossing my fingers for more working hoists, including my own
outdoor one to get me in and out of my hydrotherapy pool!
Lizzie Baily MBE 2024
