hi
some of u may recall me asking re using powerchair on train. i have finally plucked up the courage to do it! tue 6th may. carer and i will only be going to next town-20 minutes away BUT it will give me the chance to see what happens with ramps/what the service at stations is like. am apprehensive but excited at same time. i think i may be facing direction of travel which is not like the bus!
ellie
Sounds great - I will wait to hear how it goes. I would really like to go and see my friends in Stoke and know I can’t drive that far anymore. I think I could manage the local service and underground. I am more worried about the longer trip from Euston. Hope you have a successful trip Barney
Hi Ellie
hope it all goes so well that you will soon be feeling the freedom of travelling the many miles of railways in Btitain!
Freckles xxx
Hi Barney if you use Victoria then thers no wheelchair access to underground and booking assisted travel with virgin is easy and they are great
Hi, have you requested assistance for your journey? I have travelled by train, using my electric wheelie several times. Sometimes I did request help before hand, by phone and some i didnt. They do prefer you to pre-request. it takes them a few minutes to get the ramp out and back. Most staff were more than kind, the ones where I hadn`t requested help beforehand, were a bit annoyed at me holding up the train.
Other than that everything was fine.
Good luck for your journey.
luv Pollx
hi poll
yes i have informed them of my journey. i used to be such a confident outgoing person but that has been destroyed/shattered completely. its taken me months to be sociable again-a large part of that is to do with speech issues. the local bus guys know me and now time to tackle the train.
ellie x
ps thanks to others too for words of encouragement, they mean alot to me
well folks-i did it yest!
can barely move today
carer has just been for 4 hrs so at least food is sorted for tonight and my knickers are clean…
one wee hiccup yesterday but staff sorted it in 15 seconds! very efficient-was reassured by their service and next journey to edinburgh is already booked…
one thing i did notice tho was i have never seen one other person using the ramps on either bus or train (even when i was ablebodied).am guessing theres several reasons for this-its daunting and scary! i am in fairly rural place so not common.
i guess that not many folk will even consider such a trip/outing cos its just too much hassle/organisation which i can understand only too well but as someone who ‘just popped across to ireland for lunch’ (10 hrs lol)i want to live my life as fully as i can for as long as i can. yes its a struggle but life aint easy for anyone is it?
i know theres folk out there that use powerchairs regularly-i admire u all…
ellie
HI Ellie,
Was wondering how you got on. Pleased you had a good time.
Booked for Edinburgh!! No stopping you now. Giving hope to all of us who struggle with mobility. Thank you
Jenx
well done to you ellie,hope you get many more trips out.
J x
jen
not just mobility probs-one eye and double incontinence probs! but every issue catered for as far as poss…and i had 2 spare pads so nobody noticed…
following my unique 40th birthday celebrations i had hoped to do 50 metres by 50 modes of transport for my 50th-much more difficult now! but…1. powerchair
pushed in manual one
pushed down street in a bed…
only 47 more to think about!
ellie x
Well done ellie, there’ll be no stopping you now!
freckles xxx
Well Done Ellie - you must be feeling exhilerated. l am doing all l can to get new hip and knee working better. Surprised myself this morning during my ‘therapy’ session - by raising up from a chair without using my hands/arms. Doesn’t work all the time - but at least l know that if l keep working at it l will improve.
Had ‘orthotics’ made for my shoes - what a difference that has made. Now my short leg is a better length - and my arches well supported . This holds me up in a much better position. Doing Pilates - [ sitting - lying on a bed - and standing as l can’t get up from the floor - yet!]
My friends husband flew in a Micro-light - from Leicester to lsle of Wight - a couple of weeks ago. lt took 1hr 40mins to get there. Longer coming home as the wind was against them. Now thats the way to travel.
hey Ellie!
Good for you…I have used trains in my leccy wheeelie and have received, polite and helpful service from railway staff.
How about that microlite trip then…or a hot air balloon…I`d love that.
keep on trucking girl…theres another idea…a truck!
Frances…well done you too, for that can do attitude.you`re an insiration!
luv Pollx
Well done Ellie for taking the first step - there’ll be no stopping you now!
And just to reassure you, I have seen people using the ramps to get on and off trains, but mainly in the bigger cities. I don’t really use buses (that is starting to change), so it isn’t surprising I haven’t seen anyone using the ramps on them.
Enjoy Edinburgh - where will you go after that?!
thanks again for replies.
mitzi-lancaster is answer! then…dunno yet!
went in balloon for 35th poll!
flew 4 seater plane for 40th.
ellie x