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.

Accessible St David's Day

This St. David’s day (1/3/14) celebrate all things Welsh with a tour of a world-famous stadium in Cardiff, farmyard near the Pembrokeshire coast and a scenic drive in southern Snowdonia with the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain.

The online days out guide features reviews of accessible attractions such as a tour of the home of Welsh rugby, The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, where visitors can experience behind-the-scenes tours of the stadium; the highlight of which, is the visit to the ‘Dragon’s Lair’ home-side changing room.

As the proud holder of the “Best Family Day Out in Wales” National Tourism Award, Folly Farm is a must-visit for families close to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. With a farm, adventure park, vintage funfair and zoo, guests will have a hard time choosing where to begin. For a more relaxing day, families can enjoy the Snowdonia scenic drive, a 53 mile drive between Machynlleth and Beddgelert. Featuring woodlands, valleys, mountains, beaches and an ancient castle, the drive offers all the quintessential hallmarks of southern Snowdonia.

The fourth edition of The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain is available to view for free online, with plenty of new ideas for accessible trips. Each review contains hints and tips from the Rough Guides team of disabled reviewers who visited each venue, looking for well thought out accessibility features and unique attractions, both of which contribute to making a great day out.

The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain series has been developed in association with Motability.

Wheel In To US TV

If you’re a TV addict with a desire to visit the places where your favourite shows are made, momondo have created the ultimate USA road trip, based on six of America'’s best-loved drama series.

1) MAD MEN, New York City, New York
Spectacular promotions, pencil skirts and whiskey-drinking men. Dive into
1960s New York, in a nostalgic tale of hard business and everyday intrigue.
Throw grand gestures with Don Draper and his gang, amidst a backdrop of
sexism, racism, adultery and alcoholism. In New York, start at Central
Station, where Don Draper takes his train every day - and visit the famed
Oyster Bar, and The Roosevelt Hotel, where Don Draper sips cocktails.

2) THE WIRE, Baltimore, Maryland
Learn more about America, through the unique sociological drama series The
Wire, recognised as one of the most realistic pieces of TV fiction. Through
topics such as drug trafficking, politics, the educational system and the
media, The Wire truly defines the human psyche. Start in West Baltimore at
Lexington and Fulton Avenue, where Snot Boogie was found dead on the street,
and then explore Baltimore's different neighborhoods, each of which forms a
backdrop for every season of The Wire.

3) HOUSE OF CARDS, Washington D.C., Columbia
In the world of fiction, continue south to Washington DC, where the world
eagerly follows in the footsteps of Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, in
House of Cards. In the real world, we need to be in Baltimore, where most
scenes were filmed. Here you will find, among other locations, Francis and
Claire's home, Zoe's apartment, the abandoned building where Freddy’s BBQ
Rib Joint is - it is not in fact - and The Clean Water Initiative, Claire's
charity, found a few blocks away from Baltimore Inner Harbor.

4) MIAMI VICE, Miami, Florida
And one for nostalgia’s sake.  Throw back on that loose t-shirt, Armani
jacket with extra wide shoulders and those bare feet in boat shoes. Bring
your old Phil Collins cassettes and a partner in crime. So are you ready to
travel to the south and become detectives Crockett and Tubbs in action drama
Miami Vice, one of the first television series that seduced viewers with its
explosive visual effects. Run out to the coast, where you will find
Crockett's home in Bayside Marina - and proceed to Villa Vizcaya,
Jorgenson's House and OCB Building among a host of other Miami Vice related
opportunities.

5) TRUE DETECTIVE, New Orleans, Louisiana
The murder mystery of True Detective is based on a story of moral decay.
After a long stretch to the west is New Orleans - where two detectives
intensely hunt a serial killer. The roles of Detective Cohle and Detective
Hart are occupied by the two cinematic heavyweights, Matthew McConaughey and
Woody Harrelson, whose alluring characters play out the plot's dark
philosophy. Explore Louisiana’s bars, see its trailer parks (where some
scenes were shot) and dark forests.

6) BREAKING BAD, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The tour ends with a decent jolt to the west, where cult series Breaking Bad
seduced viewers worldwide with its catchy premise: What is the morally right
thing to do? And what I have to do to save my family? Chemistry teacher
Walter White is diagnosed with fatal lung cancer, and begins in desperation
to manufacture and sell the dangerous methamphetamine to secure his family's
future. See Walter and Skyler’s house at 3828 Piermont Dr., enjoy the sunset
over the Albuquerque downtown and go exploring in the beautiful and isolated
desert landscapes.

Have you visited the USA? Write about access here

Leopard print Powerchair

Eden King, 14 from Thetford in Norfolk who lives with Muscular Dystrophy, has received a life changing, state-of-the-art powerchair thanks to donations from Action for Kids, the Joseph Patrick Trust and the Norfolk Free Masons.

Eden is a lively teenager who lives in a specially adapted, highly accessible bungalow with her parents Rod and Catherine King. She has depended upon an electric wheelchair since the age of four as her condition results in muscle weakness and restricted mobility. Over the years Eden’s condition has changed, particularly in terms of postural requirements that led to the need for a more specialist powerchair. NHS Wheelchair Services were able to support Eden to a certain degree however as her needs became more complex, the King’s Occupational Therapist recommended a more specialist solution – a Balder F290 Junior powerchair from Etac. 

Eden’s life was instantly transformed as she explains: “I was so happy to have my new chair which helped me be so much more independent. The Etac engineers spent a long time fitting my Balder with special, sensitive control buttons and a mini joystick so I can adjust my position and drive around easily with very little hand movement. I can even now position myself under the school dinner table and eat next to all my friends – it’s great.”

2011 Census - New Analysis Looking At 'Good' Health And Disability

This analysis looks at whether disability is a barrier to 'Good' health among males and females by age in more or less deprived areas.

2011 Census - New Analysis Looking At 'Good' Health And Disability

Food Decides

Travel search site momondo carried out an extensive survey of British travel habits and results show dining out is most often cited as a preferred holiday experience for Brits abroad.

In fact, ‘eating out at restaurants’ was mentioned the most times, when asked which of 12 cultural activities associated with going on holiday Brits most liked to do when on holiday with family, friends or a partner.*

The travel site also found that 63% of Brits questioned responded that 'good food' is crucial to whether they feel that they have experienced a good holiday.

And 29% of Brits only choose a hotel abroad, if it has its own restaurant.

Brits have a healthy appetite for the unknown
momondo found Brits are not afraid to try something new - whether it’s travel destinations, or what’s on their plates.

 The survey showed that 85% of Brits either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ they ‘prefer seeing new things when they travel’.

And whilst abroad, Brits are not afraid to try the local cuisine either. With 26% of Brits questioned citing they prefer to try unfamiliar, local dishes on holiday, and 45% preferring to distribute their appetite equally between new dishes and well-known favourites. Only 15% of Brits prefer only eating food they already know.

Brits don’t like their own grub

And Brits don’t appear to regard British food that highly.

Interestingly, when questioned what they most liked about the UK, only 8% of Brits answered they liked the food most. This was after being given six options, including the people, weather, culture & sights, and nature.

Find out about wheelchair accessible London restaurants here and add your own review. 

 

Free Doughnuts! #DumDumHappyHour

To celebrate their anticipated Donutterie launch at Box Park on the 25th February 2014, all NEW Dum Dum Doughnuts, the first brand to create the baked croissant doughnut, are opening doors early at 8am offering FREE samples between 8-9am.

This is on a first come first serve basis. What’s the catch? No catch, just be there are 8am without fail and you will receive a taste of the most sought after artisan baked doughnut in London freshly made that morning!

 
If you’re going to be heading to Box Park on the 25th Feb, tweet the below with the image and you will be entered to receive an extra special treat for you and your team…

‘I’m going to Box Park at 8am on the 25th Feb for the opening of @dumdumdoughnuts, are you? dumdums.co.uk #DumDumHappyHour’