Conscious Crafties

So this week I was fortunate enough to be accepted into Conscious Crafties.

The Chronic Comforts store has been set up, there's not much listed at the moment but its growing day by day. You can have a look here:

https://www.consciouscrafties.com/Crafties/chronic-comforts/

Conscious Crafties Is a lovely, friendly community of people with chronic illness' or people who care for those with Chronic Illness' to sell their crafts. It goes further than an online store. There's a supportive community where crafties can find support, advice and creative genius. It's all the brainchild of karen thomas a lovely lady and a spoonie  herself, here's what she has to say about why she founded Conscious Crafties:

How was the idea born?

Karen Thomas
Conscious Crafties Founder

Hi there, I'm Karen and after becoming sick in 2011 almost overnight, I found my way to various support networks. I noticed we all shared the same sense of loss, we'd lost friends (because not many stick around when you have to let people down at the last minute), some of us had lost jobs (due to being unreliable) and the biggest thing that hurt deep into my soul was the overwhelming loss of purpose, we all felt useless. I desperately wanted to make that better. So in 2011 the idea was born to create a community for everyone to showcase their talents in one place and give people a way of creating their own businesses. It was also a way for me to feel useful again, by using my skills to help others. Conscious Crafties is about empowering us all to be successful, tell our stories and meet new like minded friends who understand our struggles. I'm also hoping it plays a key part in changing the way Disabled and Sick people are viewed by the world. We can still contribute and are incredibly talented!!

 

My Beautiful Friend Sam

Conscious Crafties has been built in honour of Sam, my beautiful friend I met through sickness and our love of crafts. Her strong fight with Gastroparesis and POTS sadly ended in Oct 14. Heartbroken, I knew then, after years of thinking about it, the idea for us all to sell our crafts and skills within a supportive community needed to be launched, so it could help people NOW and give them hope for the future.

Karen has been so patient with me and has supported me to open my Conscious Crafties shop. The whole site has tidbits of advice at every stage and well thought out timesaving features all designed to save you some energy. Ive only been set up 3 days and im already making friends.

Once you list a product the "techy magic" on the site posts it on social media to get your products seen by a wider audience.

I've been amazed at the wide range of skills and talents there are, from artists to wood burners every kind of art and craft is welcomed. You can apply to become a Conscious Craftie here

Or buy something from a talented disabled person or carer here.

As usual any questions or comments just let me know below....

As always thanks for reading,

Laura :)

Banham zoo accessibility review

Following my camping trip, which you can read about here I thought I would write about my experiences at the zoo next door, Banham zoo.

 

Banham zoo was founded in 1968 and became a charity in 2013. It isn't the largest zoo in the UK but I found the friendly atmosphere and their dedication to conservation made it one of my favourites.

 

Its in the tiny village of Banham in Norfolk, UK.

 

 When you arrive your given a welcome pack which includes a map and a list of the feeding and talk times. The entrance gates are wide enough for a power chair and the reception is all on one level.

As you enter the zoo there is a map and signposts to the different animals. We noticed several first aid posts and help points. You can hire a mobility scooter for the day for £10 and they will safely store your wheelchair if you are swapping it for the scooter. I can't stress how helpful the staff are.

 

 

Most of the zoo is on level ground however the giraffe enclosure is up a inclining platform so you can get up to their height. For wheelies who self propel, I recommend going into the building at the Base of the giraffe enclosure and using the small platform lift to get to the top. From the top of the building you can then get to the platform and see the giraffes.

 

Some of the ground in the zoo is uneven so those using walking aids or with balance issues will need to be careful.

 

Most of the enclosures have some way of viewing the animals from a lower position, ideal for children, those who are shorter in height and people using wheelchairs. I got some great views of the tigers and snow leopards from these areas.

 

 

It may be unsuitable for those with severe visual impairment as there are only a few enclosures or attractions where touch or sound is used, there is no braille and some of the animals like to hide quite well! For hearing impaired all the talks are done with the use of a microphone system and a single person speaking allowing for lip reading or use of hearing aids.

There are several toilet blocks which include a disabled toilet. The disabled toilet at the Parrot Pavilion, the main restaurant, was a little on the small side but I was able to get my power chair in and transfer to the toilet. Disabled toilets had the standard radar key, lowered sink, grab rails and lowering rail on the right hand side of the toilet.

 

It's free to listen to the talks, see the amazing animals show and watch them feeding the animals. Also interactive events like meet a reptile and the amazing animals show are also included.

 

                        

They only things not included in the ticket price are the Skytrek high wire course and zorbing. The food is good but quite pricey so I recommend bringing your own food and drink. There are plenty of picnic areas.

 

It is possible to see the zoo in one day but for those low on spoons who can camp, glamp or caravan, I recommend staying at the Applewood countryside campsite next door and seeing the zoo over two or more days. If your staying at the campsite you can pay an extra £3 on the price of your ticket and revisit the zoo all week.

 

Ticket prices

(can include optional donation to their conservation charity. )

 

Disabled adult/child/carer

£11.45 (with donation) £10.40 (without)

Adult
£22.95 with donation £20.85 without

Children 3-15yrs
£16.95 with donation £15.40 without

 

Children under 3

Free

 

We really enjoyed it, even my grumpy husband loved getting close to the tigers and seeing them been fed. It is somewhere which taught me a lot about different animals, their endangerment and why conservation is so important, I would definitely revisit.

 

As always thanks for reading, any questions or suggestions leave a comment below.

 

Laura :)

Camping trip with a chronic illness

Earlier in the month I wrote about dealing with anxiety around unplanned trips as Preparing for anything with a chronic illness can be tricky. Even more so when it's camping.

 

I'm lucky I'm not going camping in the woods, I'm going to a campsite with level ground and disabled toilet and shower facilities. I needed somewhere with an electric hook up so I would have power to charge my chair. Obviously if you don't need electricity your experiences may be different.

 

Here's how I prepared;

 

My tent is amazing, its actually like a Tardis. It is huge inside! easy to put up and I can wheel straight in and stand up inside if I need to. It goes up in about 10-20 Mins with 2 people doing it (my husband and I ) even though I'm helping from my chair.

http://amzn.to/2c2IcDB

 

We got this up and had two cushioned reclining chairs, a table and a cooler inside the living area. We had power running into the tent with sockets in the middle so I could charge my chair and use my heated blanket.

 

My husband splashed out on a raised air bed for me so I can get up from it,  the bed has an inbuilt electric pump for super fast inflation and it deflates itself! magic! once the tent is up the very next thing to go up for me has always got to be my bed, so if I crash I have somewhere to lie down for a rest. This was really comfy to sleep on but with my husband getting up and down like a yoyo it did deflate slightly as the days went on, we just got the plug out and pumped it back up a bit.

We took a double duvet and pillows instead of sleeping bags as I'm quite claustrophobic and cant stand anything wrapped around me! My heated throw blanket is also a heated cape and helped when things got cold.

http://amzn.to/2cj7POk

 

I took my meds in my dosset boxes so they were easy to find and chuck in my bag if we were going out for the day. I also made sure I had extra tablets for pain relief, insomnia, IBS and nausea as the last thing you want is to run out or suddenly need some half way through your trip and have to wander around looking for the nearest pharmacy. I made sure I took anything I might need with me as I refused to have my holiday spoilt but something that could be relieved by medication. If your meds are high risk (codeine, tramadol, morphine, zoplicone etc) keep it on you in your bag. Also don't forget basics like Paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, bite relief cream and sun cream / after sun, antacids etc..

 

Before we went I researched where we were going, what was nearby and what id like to visit. I looked at where places where, did they have disabled parking, were they accessible, opening times and admission prices / costs. I knew we were a 30 min drive from Norwich which is excellent for shopping so I knew I wanted to go on a shopping trip. I also knew we were literally next door to Banham zoo and that I would want to visit but may need two days as during the day it was quite warm and tiring. I researched the shops I wanted to visit so I spent less time wondering around aimlessly and more time in shops I was actually interested in, knowing where they were also helped us to navigate a city we've never been to before without getting too lost!

 

Another piece of advice I can offer is to start preparing early, This is so you can take your time and pace yourself. Write a list out of everything you need, don't forget a spare outfit in case you get soaked, decide to have a head to toe mud bath or the weather drastically changes. Start sorting out what you need at least a week before you go, if you already have a tent get it out and put it up so you can check it for damp or damage and air it out, the same with any other camping equipment. This gives you at least a week to find another one or repair anything that's damaged. If you have pets check your designated pet sitter is still available and happy to take care of your babies. Make sure you stock up on pet supplies too.

 

Luckily nothing went wrong and I didn't need my plan B, but its always a good idea to have one. Have an emergency fund set aside so you can spend the night in a B&B or hotel If your tent gets blown or washed away. Also the weather is never guaranteed, have some entertainment for rainy days, board games, books, card games, if your adults with a dodgy sense of humour there's always games like cards against humanity and exploding kittens. :) The weather stayed nice for us and it only drizzled for about an hour on one of the mornings. Luckily I had a waterproof coat and it soon stopped.

 

I camp on campsites so I have the right balance (for me) between nature and home comforts. I didn't take my laptop. It was me, my husband and a phone that was it. We were away from our usual routines, work and environment and could relax together and enjoy each others company. That's the point of a holiday for me, getting away from everything and spending quality time together. I don't have to be staying in the Hilton for that and we both love nature. It was so quiet and peaceful on our campsite it felt like we were in a whole different world.

 

 

So How did I get on?

My husband was amazing and did most of the work! However the cold didn't like me very much, despite my heated blanket the cold at night caused me some issues and the last resort pain meds came out in full force.

 

Despite that I had a good time and came across very few obstacles. The disabled bathroom on the campsite was adequate but had a step into a shower and a grab rail that came down across the door which meant you couldn't use it to get over the step and onto the shower seat but once you were in you could put it down to stabilise yourself. I also couldn't fit my chair next to the toilet to transfer so I had to pull myself up, turn round and then lower myself down but I managed. I went shopping in Norwich which was hit and miss with accessibility, some tiny shops were more accessible than large well established ones, but I find that problem nearly everywhere in England.

 

We also spent quite a bit of time in Banham zoo which was quite accessible for those with mobility problems.

 

Check back next week for photos and an accessibility review of Banham zoo.

As always thanks for reading,

 

Laura :)