20th Anniversary Phone

Eurotunnel has completed mobile telephone and internet connections in the Channel Tunnel
For its 20th Anniversary.

Eurotunnel has installed British mobile telephone services inside the North Running Tunnel with the help of UK operators Vodafone, EE and O2 UK and the equipment supplier, Alcatel-Lucent, with services commencing on 6 May for Vodafone and EE, and soon for O2 UK. With the goal of improving services for customers, the fibre optic GSP-P retransmission system for 2G and 3G mobile telephone and internet which will enable passengers on board Le Shuttle and high speed passengers to use their mobile devices to make calls and use the internet inside the Channel Tunnel is similar to that installed in the South Tunnel in July 2012 (direction France-UK) by the French operators, in time for the London Olympic Games.

Take a trip on the wheelchair accessible Eurostar to Lille. Write about your experience.

Wheelchair Accessible Safari

A web app has been launched by Discover Africa which enables one of nature’s most spectacular wildlife events to be tracked in real-time.

HerdTracker is a real time Google map, which shows instant updates of the migration's precise location. This is coupled with a migration map, which publishes accurate monthly migration predictions, based on data from the Serengeti itself.

Real time updates are sourced weekly from pilots who fly over the Serengeti and Masai Mara, safari guides on the ground, Tanzania National Parks Authority rangers and lodges in the Masai Mara in Kenya.

The migration map allows those planning their safari to see a month-by-month prediction, ensuring safari travellers are in the right place at the right time.

Both tools allow travellers to plan their safari around the weather, wildlife, migratory movements, predator interactions, river crossings and where to stay each month of the year.

Find out about wheelchair accessible safari here and write a review.

Accessible Australia

Have Prince William and Kate inspired you to take a trip to Australia?
 

Witches Falls Cottages, the boutique Bed and Breakfast situated on beautiful Tamborine Mountain, has undergone extensive renovations within two of their cottages to transform them into new all abilities cottages. In the new duplex style accommodation, Witches Falls Cottages have maintained the popular style of stone gables, glass walled bathrooms and private gardens with BBQ facilities. Witches Falls Cottages is proud to announce that with the recent refurbishment their AAA Tourist Star rating has been upgraded from a 4 star rating to a 4.5 star rating. Weekend rates start from $360 per night and weeknights from $310 per night, for two adults including breakfast.
 
Add your wheelchair accessible reviews of 'Down Under'.

Accessible Bowling

Are you looking for something fun for the family this weekend but not sure what to do?

Brooklyn Bowl has launched Family Bowl, now open on Saturdays and Sundays from midday until 7pm, for all ages.

At Family Bowl, kids can enjoy Blue Ribbon’s children’s menu which includes delicious Chicken Nuggets, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, French Bread Pizzas, and of course their world-renowned Fried Chicken. Parents can indulge in juicy Pork Ribs, Blackened Atlantic Salmon, Sloppy Joe’s and their signature dishes Oyster Po' Bos and Cajun Catfish.

To top it all off, adults can head to the bar that offers beers from the local Meantime Brewing Company and an extensive range of wines and cocktails, all this whilst kids munch on chocolate frosted cupcakes, hot fudge sundaes and banana splits by their lanes.

Family Bowl sessions on Saturday afternoons are £18 per half hour per lane, and Sunday afternoons are £14 per half hour per lane. All lanes can cater for up to 10 people.

The venue is fully accessible.

Winter Sun

Now we are reaching mid- January, are you ready for your next holiday? A recent  Sainsburys survey found the  Canaries is the most popular winter sun destination with 18% of winter sun seekers planning to go there

 The Caribbean is the second most popular with 8% of winter sun seekers heading there,  6% plan to go to Dubai and 5% to Australia.  21% are undecided where they will go.

Where is your favourite wheelchair- accessible holiday destination?

 

Paris by Wheelchair!

Paris by Wheelchair: A Seemingly Impossible Challenge

What is your favourite wheelchair accessible place to visit?

Have you been to France? Add your review here.

PortAdventura Halloween!

Is Halloween a big event for you? Are you looking for somewhere accessible to have some fun?

 

PortAventura is a themed resort located between the towns of Vilaseca and Salou. It opened in 1995 as Spain’s first theme park, with the goal of offering a journey around the world in a single day.

From 28th September to 17th November, PortAventura will be taken over by zombies and ghosts, and will also welcome a new Sesame Street character: Count Von Count.

 

 

 

Those who feel like screaming can enter the legendary “Selva del miedo (Jungle of fear)”, a terrifying walk in the Polynesia area inhabited by monstrous beings, where mists and darkness obscure everything and turn the journey into a blood-chilling experience. Alternatively, visitors can brave “Horror in Penitence”, a macabre and inhospitable maze in the Far West with a gloomy and creepy atmosphere from which it is difficult to escape.

 

Halloween 2013 also brings new terror shows that are fun for all ages. The Gran Teatro Imperial is decked out to host “Rock Symphony-Mystery”, an impressive mystery tale with dancers and acrobats in a gothic atmosphere to summon the souls from the beyond. The most daring may also enjoy the terrifying menu of “Vampires: Dinner Show”, in the legendary Far West Saloon, where dancers, actors, acrobats, magicians and singers sow panic and occasional laughter among the guests. Finally, the Mexican La Cantina will host “La Gran Fiesta (The big party)”, in which a cast of dancers and Mexicans perform the country’s traditional repertoire..

 The park is wheelchair accessible.

TOWIE- Vegas for wheelchair users!

Are you already hooked on the latest run of The Only Way Is Essex but even more excited that it is in Las Vegas?

I went to the gambling mecca a few years ago and am breaking the Vegas rule by telling you what did happen!

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Gambling Mecca of the world, Las Vegas is an adult’s playground. Open 24/7,  if you are over 21, everything is accessible.

There is plenty to do in ‘Sin City’, whether you want to shop, visit the Hoover Dam or Grand Canyon, gamble, party or even get married!

All shopping malls have disabled access and every casino has wheelchair accessible slot machines and gaming tables.

Shows are also accessible but need to be booked in advance.

The two most visited areas in Las Vegas are The Strip and Downtown. The Strip consists of the big hotels and casinos while Downtown is home to the ‘original’ hotels and ‘The Freemont Street Experience,’ a spectacular hourly light show.  

Vegas have more accessible hotel rooms than any other city in America. There is a wide variety of adaptations, such as, roll-in showers, transfer showers and baths with built-in or portable seats. Most of the hotels also have lifts in their swimming pools.

I stayed at the family friendly Excalibur Hotel , which I highly recommend, as it was perfectly located and good for wheelchair usage. There is a wide variety of hotels to choose from however, with a broad price range.

Everything is big, so far apart, in the city and scooters are available for hire in every hotel.

Most, if not all, hotels and casinos will have wheelchair access so add any of your own recommendations here!

Adapting your home

If you want to move house but don't know where to start with making it wheelchair accessible, read these tips to help you.

http://www.which.co.uk/home-and-garden/home-improvements/guides/adapting-your-home-for-disability/disability-access/

Christmas Party!

Now that summer is over, is your mind creeping towards Christmas? Only 113 days to go! The inevitable Christmas party will soon be arranged but get in there first with your wheelchair accessible suggestions before you are forced to a) reject your invitation or b) spend the next few months figuring out how to enter the venue or researching accessible toilets nearby.

Whether it is a bar or restaurant, you want to enjoy yourself getting into the festive spirit, rather than becoming the Grinch because of access problems. Click here for a full list bars restaurants (in London) and suggest any other places you would recommend to the wheelchair community.

Little Creatures

Head to wheelchair accessible London Zoo this weekend for its Little Creatures Family Festival,

ZSL’s bachelor group of meerkats, Norman, Nigel, Billy, Timmy and Ronnie, were given their very own brightly-coloured play balls, stuffed with their favourite snack of meal worms to encourage their natural foraging behaviours.

Meerkat keeper Angela Ryan said: “It’s not just little people that we’ll be entertaining at ZSL London Zoo this weekend – the meerkats will be joining in too.”

Little Creatures Family Festival, which starts today (Friday) and goes on until Sunday 1 September, promises a great day out for the whole family, with wacky races, a pedal-powered disco and a whole host of special animal feeds and talks to enjoy - beat the entry queues and book online now at www.zsl.org/littlecreatures<

http://www.zsl.org/littlecreatures>

http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/visit/access-for-disabled-visitors,126,AR.html