Summer is many people’s favourite time of the year, and not just because of the warmer weather and (hopefully) lots of sunny days. The season is also marked by a huge array of events all over the country that everyone should be able to enjoy.
On the one hand, there are sporting occasions, whether it is the summer’s cricket, tennis at Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, the British Grand Prix, or even the Henley Regatta. On the other hand, there are music festivals, flower shows, themed parades and local carnivals all across the land.
With all sorts of different events, it is easy to lapse into the cliche that there is “something for everyone”, but is that always so true for those who have accessibility needs?
Why Big Events Are Accessible
In some cases, the facilities have been designed with lots of consideration for those with disabilities, partly to comply with legislation, but also because many venues have modern design features that make it easier to meet needs that were overlooked by designers in the past.
For instance, cricket fans in wheelchairs attending the riveting first Test match of the England v India series at Headingley in Leeds will have enjoyed a range of facilities such as dedicated viewing facilities, step-free access and parking for blue badge holders. This is only to be expected in a venue that has undergone extensive 21st-century redevelopment.
That may also be expected at other major sporting venues, such as the other big cricket venues and Wimbledon.
Why Accessibility Can Be A Challenge In Small Events
At the same time, the situation can be a little more challenging for music festivals, which are not based at custom-built venues, but use fields and parks and have all kinds of pop-up facilities, involving loads of tents and temporary stands.
However, accessibility is an issue many of these big events are keen to manage and in many cases, this can be accommodated.. Even so, while this may be manageable for the bigger music festivals like Glastonbury, it can be more of a challenge for smaller events and pop-up events in parks and on village greens to do the same.
This is where an all-terrain electric wheelchair can come in extremely handy. For instance, if you live in a hilly area, you may find that your town’s summer fair is on a sloping and uneven field. The local music festival may have a steep slope to access it, either uphill or downhill. That may also be true of a local sports club if you fancy going down to watch the game.
Besides this, you cannot be sure of easy, flat paths or tracks to reach the venue, while you may need to make your way across swathes of grass. The recent hot weather means the ground shouldn’t be too soft under your wheels, but it only takes a few more rainy days to follow the thunderstorms that recently hit some areas to change all that.
What is more, if there has been rain and then another dry spell, the ground may have become uneven underfoot or when wheels have gone across it, which means once it is hard, it could be quite bumpy.
A wheelchair that can handle anything, be it steep slopes, rough ground, or grass areas softened by rain, will be a great way of enjoying much easier access, so that you or your loved one doesn't have to miss out just because the event doesn’t have custom-built access.
All About Independence
Of course, an all-terrain wheelchair is not just for set-piece events. It can be invaluable at any time in various settings, such as when you are looking to explore the countryside. For that, however, a powered scooter may be the best vehicle for longer ventures.
Even so, a powered wheelchair can be ideal in many situations, not least if you live in rugged countryside to start with.
The great advantage of such a wheelchair is that it not only makes it easier to move around across all terrain, but it also enables you to have more independence. A non-powered wheelchair might require someone to help you get across some terrain, which may be quite a physical challenge for them, especially if it is an older family member.
This, of course, is what mobility wheelchairs and scooters are all about: giving you levels of independence that you may have thought you had lost.
While there will be some curmudgeons who lament that the “nights are drawing in” now the summer solstice has come and gone, the fact is that you can still enjoy lots of summer events over the next couple of months, especially with the right mobility aids.
