Making holidays, really wheel…

I’m a big fan of beach holidays, and although confined to a wheelchair with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, I have always found a way to get to the water. Summers in south Devon often involve sweating mates and family, improbable terrain, me hanging onto someone’s back or perching precariously in my chair, before I’m ritually offloaded into the surf and the bracing waters of the Channel. Fifteen minutes later, I’ll be dragged out again, like a drowned seal. On one hand it’s a truly invigorating experience; on the other it can be quite humiliating.

 

It’s worse with Julie, my wife. One for foreign shores, she’s only too happy to dump me out of my wheelchair into the pool, to the astonishment of fellow holidaymakers, who at first seem to think it’s a bad domestic. Of course I go along with the above. It always helps to break the ice.

 

Disability is about visibility and – excuse the pun – it helps to make a bit of a splash. The shenanigans in the pool, often mean I am treated like some kind of Superman. In Thailand for example, the hotel staff would hold up traffic on a busy road, so they could carry me in and out of the Andaman sea and there are always numerous volunteers keen to assist Julie, after their earlier shock, as she brutally man handles me back into my chair, after I’ve pounded a few lengths.

 

This brilliant support means, I still get to swim and play the clown, but it’s not a long-term option for anyone, living with severe disability, and craving a salt water hit. However all is not lost as an increasing range of water wheelchairs are getting disabled people back into the water.

 

Holidaying in Mallorca, I was rapt how the island faced beach and pool accessibility. Many hotels have sleek swimming pool hoists – even if I do prefer Julie’s methods – and most public beaches benefit from wooden walkways, often right to the sea. The lifeguard stations then stock a selection of beach wheelchairs. They vary in design, but all have big chunky wheels, able to traverse the sand and get you in the water.

 

As ever you will need someone to ‘haul arse”, so usual rules apply, but the whole principle is a game changer. In S-illot, I was blessed with a floating Mobi chair, and Falcundo the lifeguard, was always in attendance. I was able to swim three times a day – it made my holiday.

 

I was so impressed that upon my return to the UK I delved for more information. No one is going to deny that the sea back home is colder than the Mediterranean and mother nature often makes beaches in-accessible, however change is afoot. Last year saw a 7 year high in water temperatures of Britain’s south-west coast and this trend is set to continue. Predictions of hotter summers, means more of us will take our holidays in the UK and that includes people with mobility issues.

 

The UK has over 1,200 beaches and a basic search on the internet for beach wheelchairs, comes up with plenty of links, from Devon to Norfolk. The website Caravanable even gives a small directory for beaches across the country supplying them. However pinpointing specific locations and its mobility services can be difficult and still leaves room for improvement. Lee Fisher, lifeguard services manager for the RNLI who employ over 200 lifeguards for the summer months said “There is no definitive list of what places have a beach wheelchair, it’s more down to word of mouth. But they offer huge potential for bringing visitors to an area if providers let people know they are out there’.

 

This inadequate ‘signposting’ of the service can leave disabled people going in ‘blind’ when looking for an accessible beach with a chair, and the results of their endeavours often end in disappointment. Blue flag beaches of which England & Wales currently has 102, can though offer a way forward though. This prestigious award, is a yard stick many beaches aspire too and part of its requirements are to “provide features for wheelchair users or have them at a nearby Blue flag beach” – This however is where part of the problem lies. Although 90% of the beaches are wheelchair friendly, less than 50% provided a beach wheelchair. In my eyes accessibility , is all about the freedom of movement. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate facilities might include a disabled toilet, a parking bay or even a nice promenade to wheel along, but if the main ‘feature’ is a ramp on to the beach, which leaves me marooned in the sand because my wheels won’t turn, then what’s the point.

 

A public information sign for a Beach wheelchair would rectify this and mapping the service would enable beaches to draw in extra custom, but it’s also about supply and selling into the idea. The responsibility of providing the chairs normally falls to local authorities, but they do not come cheap, retailing from upwards of £2,250 and often charities like Beach Within Reach have to step up to the plate. Based in Thanet, they provide 17 chairs, which are paid for from donations. Debbie Fifield its secretary said, ‘ As well as the beaches locally, we provide chairs for schools, and events such as weddings and firework displays all for free of charge. They allow people with mobility issues to join in and gives them back some freedom’.

 

These services reach out far beyond the local community, helping to attract visitors with genuine needs but health and safety can still be a barrier. Some service providers are unable to assist clients with transfers to beach wheelchairs, which is a problem I am all too aware of, so be prepared and go mob handed when possible. And then there is the training on how to use them – Hello its a wheelchair with big wheels, not a rocket ship!

 

Mallorca in many ways was refreshingly different. Falcundo provided an excellent demonstration of the machines versatility and was happy to help me transfer out of my own chair, in return he often shared an Octopus lunch with Julie and I. Maybe that’s the Mediterranean way, but with our own summers warming up, it’s something we could learn from. The domestic tourism market is worth £24bn a year to the UK and is keenly contested over. Any extra share of that pot, would benefit a seaside community and Beach Wheelchairs and their improved tracking could be a beacon for attracting visitors and ensuring no one gets left behind.

 

James Coke 17/07/15 ©