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 :)

Unplanned trip anxiety!

I'm been brave this September.  I normally don't go anywhere without my trusty rucksack armed with all kinds of things to help me with heat intolerance, cold intolerance, pain, dislocations, asthma and more. Even with all that I Then have to know where I'm going and know where toilets, disabled accessible facilities are and have a plan B for everything.

I think this is typical for most with a chronic illness. Either that or I'm just an anxious control freak! It now comes naturally to me to go out prepared for almost anything my body can throw at me. This enables me to enjoy myself, relax and know that if anything happen I wont have to go running home or ruin the day.

All this goes out the window when I have to go somewhere I don't know. My dad has planned a suprise trip for me. It's a lovely exciting idea BUT it's left me quite anxious. I don't know where we're going. I've to turn up at my Dads house on a specified date and time and he will hand me information about where I'm going, a postcode for my satnav and booking information. All I know is its camping and its for 4 days.

I don't know how far a drive it is, if there's blue badge parking, how accessible places I may need or want to visit are. I don't know if there's pharmacys or doctor's nearby. I don't even know where I'm staying.

Will it be big enough for my power chair?

Will it have accessible bathrooms?
Will there even be somewhere to charge my power chair!?

Will I be able to make myself comfortable and give myself some self care if I have a flare up?

What activities will I be able to participate in?

Will attractions I want to visit be accessible?

I have to be brave and put trust in my dad that he knows my needs well enough to have thought of all this. But then there's the other issue its CAMPING- I'm extremely sensitive to temperatures, too hot my POTS doesn't like it, too cold my Raynaud's and Fibromyalgia doesn't like it. I cant exactly have air conditioning or heating in a tent. My air bed is not that comfy and I wont have a sofa to lay on if I'm having a bad fatigue day.

To tackle this I'm taking lots of pillows and blankets so I can make my own nest of comfy to crash in, this will also help if it gets cold. I hope the campsite has a pool so I can cool down if its too hot. Once I know where I'm going I can do some research and find some places to visit or activities I can do. Whatever happens its my holiday and I'm determined to enjoy it.

It made me wonder how many other spoonies out there have anxiety around unplanned / unexpected trips? Am I the only one?

Of course once I get back I will post about how I got on and how I survived!

As always thanks for reading,

Laura :)

Accessible sailing

 

 

On Wednesday I went sailing! I'm such a water baby I love rivers, oceans, swimming, sailing, anything to do with been in or close to water.
 

I contacted a local organisation called EAST (east anglian sailing trust) and asked to come along for one of their sailing sessions.
 

I arrived quite anxious not knowing what to expect apart from that there would be boats and other disabled adults. There is disabled parking in front of the building which is like a community centre. There was a social club kind of air to the gathering and there were adults mostly older than myself but all with some kind of disability. The building has a small ramp at the front and two large accessible toilets inside.
 

Once we were all there and had all been given life jackets we travelled down to the ramps onto a pontoon where there were several small sailing boats and a hoist. Slings were provided to those that needed hoisting but the organisers were also open to allowing people *cough* me *cough* to be stubbornly independent and find a safe way onto the boat without been hoisted.

 

The boats also had stable seats with a harness for those that cannot sit up themselves and extended rudders so everyone can have a go steering.
 

The weather looked a bit ominous and dark clouds were overhead but I spent two amazing hours out on the river and caught some amazing photos. I steered for some of the time and just sat back and enjoyed the experience the rest of the time.

Once back there was a cafe in the centre selling teas, coffees, hot chocolates and cakes or toasties. This was a good chance to chat to the other sailors and warm up with a hot chocolate.

 

The sailing is run by volunteers who are trained and have experience in keelboat sailing and first aid. There is also an option to have a carer accompany you.
 

EAST Sailing sessions are run from Levington marina in ipswich, UK on Wednesdays and Tuesday afternoons and evenings. You can contact them via phone on 01473 655509 or email at keelboatsec@e-a-s-t.org.uk

 

That's it for this week, check back next week for my post on Orthotics for EDS.
 

As always thanks for reading,

 

Laura :)

Aldeburgh day trip

Monday 6th June 2016

So Todays post revolves around my short but sweet trip to Aldeburgh. The journey should have taken about 30 Mins on quiet midday roads, however not been able to use my satnav meant I got lost, not once, not twice but four times!! 2 hours later and after a very scenic drive we finally arrived at 5pm!

If your wondering where the hell aldeburgh is, heres a handy goole map reference:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Aldeburgh,+Suffolk/@52.1567167,0.4691223,8z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47da279237d59a25:0x4a34555a49a807fb!8m2!3d52.155357!4d1.600446

       

We relaxed on the very Pebble-y beach for a while as my friend/carer/PA/sister from another mister April decided to try and swim in the sea. After a while and we had all had enough and headed off for some fish and chips.

Now down to the Accessibility........

There is disabled parking right in front of the beach near the giant seashell. The parking isn't free but blue badge holders can get double the time you pay for. it was £1 an hour (so blue badge = 2 hours for £1)

 If you book ahead of time you can use an all terrain wheelchair, it isn't self propelled so would need use of a glamorous assistant to push (its located in a locked hut right next to the disabled parking bays, you can get the key from tourist information) 

Aldeburgh Tourist Information Centre

48 High Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5AB

Telephone: (01728) 453637 Email: atic@eastsuffolk.gov.uk

Opening hours:

Monday to Saturday: 10am - 3pm

Sunday: 12 noon - 4pm

it looks something like this:

The beach itself is very uneven with more pebbles than sand, the all terrain wheelchair would get over the majority of it however there was a huge hill made purely of pebbles that was steep going up and coming down. I hereby name this pebble mountain! I sincerely discourage anyone from trying to push the all terrain wheelchair up and over this as the way down is too steep, however further along near the fishing huts there is a way down to the sea without this mini mountain! Wobbling was hard going even with husband half holding me up/half carrying me, a walking stick and knee braces. once I was down at the water it was lovely, I had a blanket and was able to sit on that propped up by the husband and watch the waves rolling in whilst we took turns at having a paddle and watching ted play with the waves,

The shops in Aldeburgh are mostly in old buildings and in my experience weren't very accessible. we tried the smaller of the two fish and chip shows and this had parking right outside and a small ledge to sit on whilst I waited for my order. I wouldn't recommend it during peak times as there wasn't much room to manoeuvre, a self propelled chair would fit through the doorway but a power chair would struggle. We went on a weekday (Monday) and it was quiet and the people serving us were prompt and polite. It was easy to find parking and as I still struggle to reverse park my 4x4 (the tank) a courteous driver reversed back in the bay to give me some more room to pull in (am I the only one that gives them a big thumbs up? I know i'm sad)

Aldeburgh would also be an ideal location for those with sensory overload who would like to visit the beach but can't stand the noises and lights from amusement arcades.

For those with specific dietary requirements- Heading back towards the A12 south there was a small Tesco's with disabled parking, nearby disabled toilets and a small free from section including gluten, dairy and wheat free foods, and a "world food" section that included some bottled green tea with honey that was amazing. I stopped here to top up on snacks to boost my almost non existent energy and caffeine that wouldn't send me into Supraventricular tachycardia!

As for toilet facilities nearer the beach, there are three public toilets near the sea front with disabled facilities.

I didn't get to see a huge amount of Aldeburgh owing to the exhausting drive and time of our arrival (oops) but I would like to come back and really have a proper look around, particularly at the old theatre and cinema, maybe that can be a future post.

In short it really seems like Aldeburgh council has gone out of its way to make their beach and town as disabled friendly as possible, which is always reassuring to see, if small towns like Aldeburgh can manage it there's hope for us all! Oh and Aldeburgh council- if by some miracle this post gets back to you please do something about pebble mountain!

Thanks,

Laura

:)