New review blog

I've decided to keep the reviews separate from this blog as i dont want any product reviews distracting people from what this blog is actually meant to be about - Wheelchair friendly days out! 

Obviously if I review any products that i think relates to this blog then i will post the review on here too! :) 

So please follow my new product review blog - Happy Little Products!

Thank You!

Longleat Safari Park

As you all know, the two disabled adults i support love animals so what better place to visit, than Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire - its only about an hour 1/4 away from us in Poole so perfect for a day out.

We've been to Longleat before so we knew it is very wheelchair friendly which made our planning alot easier!

When you arrive you drive up to the ticket booth so you dont have to get out of your vehicle which is very handy. Disabled tickets were about £15 and carers were also about £15 rather than about £30 each. For the amount of things to do at Longleat, this is well worth the money!

After paying, you get the choice of either driving round the safari bit first or doing the actual adventure park bit. We was recommended to do the safari first as the animals are more lively in the morning. So this is exactly what we did! You get given a cd to listen to as you drive round which tells you about all the animals but we didn't really pay much attention to what it was saying - whoops!

The first part of the safari is the giraffes, wallabies, lemurs and zebras - you can park up and get out at this bit but this is the only part that is a bit of a struggle for wheelchairs as its a bit hilly so we didnt stop at this bit.

But as we drove round we saw animals such as vultures, flamingos and pelicans and then we headed towards the monkeys....oh oh!! You get the choice of driving through or skipping that part as the monkeys can be very cheeky and steal parts of your vehicle!! As we drove in,the monkeys spotted our mini bus and ambushed us!! They were everywhere! We found the whole thing hysterical but they did cause quite a bit of damage to the bus....stripping the rubber of the roof rack bit and biting through the brake light cable!!!

After this experience we headed to the deer park where you can pay £1 for a cup of food so you can feed them from your car window. We was surrounded at one point! When feeding the deer, you have to put the food in your hand for the deer to get rather than just throw it on the floor! We then headed past the rhinos and camels and headed for the big cat zone where we saw Lions, Tigers and Cheetahs and then lastly we saw the wolves.

Then it was time for lunch (for us!!) There are several cafes and food huts located all round but we choose the Tropical Storm Cafe where they have thunder and rain storms inside whilst you eat - very unique and very cool!

As it was quiet on the day we went, we didnt have to queue for the river cruise boat which we decided to do next. The boat can hold 3 wheelchairs and has 2 different ramps you can use - one is steeper than the other but staff are very helpful and give you loads of time to get settled on the boat before moving off. The boat lets you see the gorilla and hippos and for £1 you can feel the sea lions swimming round the boat!

Once off we walked round to the penguins where the lady i support overcame her fear and got up close and personal with the penguins - they were obsessed with her wheelchair which she loved! Thought we was going to end up taking a penguin home with us!! We also saw the rays swimming round in this bit.

We then watched a parrot show which was very funny! Then the man i support did something VERY brave....he held a tarantula! I had to hold his at hand at this point and i was terrified!!!! I felt physically sick with fear! Such a wimp.....! He got given a certificate for being so brave!

We didnt managed to look round Longleat house the day we went as we ran out of time so i cant give a honest review on how wheelchair friendly it is.

We had a brilliant day and had no issues with accessibility and all the staff were very helpful! I highly recommend going! If you wanted to stay for longer, there is a centre parcs next door. http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/longleat

For more information on accessibility, click here or tweet them with any questions at @Longleat.

Wookey Hole Caves

This is going to be one of those rare blogs where unfortunately its not going to be praising the attraction.....far from it!

We decided one day that we would like to take the 2 disabled adults i support to Wookey Hole Caves - obviously we knew we wouldnt be able to go into the actual caves which isnt accessible but after a bit of research on their website we found out that the rest of the attraction was ok for wheelchairs......this turned out to be far from the truth sadly.

We arrived on the day after a long drive and got shown to the disabled parking spots - there are two parts to the car park. One bit up by the entrance with a couple of disabled spots and then a bit a couple of minutes walk away which is where we got directed, only we discovered on parking up that to gain access to the entrance we would have to go up a very steep hill - we asked for help from the staff who said no so in the end two random blokes came over to help us. Not a good start to the day.

We queued up to pay and got told where we could go with the wheelchairs and then made our way in - once again up another steep hill! Once in we headed to the gift shop where you cut through to the old style arcade but this was extremely difficult to get round as the floors seems quite uneven and nothing was sign posted so we got lost a couple of times and walked round in circles. Staff said they would show us around but this never happened.

After wandering round lost for ages we started to get hungry so headed to the courtyard area where they had a 'restaurant' but before we could enter that area we had to go across a rough and uneven road which was very difficult. Once inside we ordered our food which can only be described as school canteen food....I had jumbo sausage and chips and it was cold and rather tasteless. The people i support picked at their food and said they wasnt enjoying it so we gave up.

The bit we did enjoy though was the Wookey Hole Circus -  they made sure we had good seats right at the front and it was very entertaining! They got loads of people in the audience involved and at the end there was a chance to have your photo taken with the Wookey Hole Witch.

After we saw the circus we headed to the gift shop and then realized there wasnt much else we could see. By this point everyone was fed up and we felt like we hadnt got our moneys worth so we asked to speak to the manager to ask for a refund. The manager was reluctant at first - it was only when a older couple came over and said they had over heard our conversation and said they had had difficulty too and the website wasnt correct that we eventually got our refund.

We all went home that day feeling very deflated and the people i support were upset about their experience. 
I wrote to the manager after our visit to ask them to change the website and to tell them how disappointed we were but we just got the usual generic response. Ive checked the website since and i cant see any accessibility information on there anymore apart from about a bit blue badge holders paying less. If we hadnt of asked for a refund we would have spent quite a lot of money to see a circus and to go in the gift shop.....

**If you are thinking about visiting Wookey Hole and use a wheelchair or have difficulty walking i really recommend you to think carefully about your trip there in order to avoid disappointment. **

Photo credits: tripadvisor / heart / fiveringcircus

Cat treats petshop.co.uk review

As a cat lover and a owner of 2 cats, i am always looking for new treats and food to give them so when petshop.co.uk offered me the chance to review some products i took up the offer straight away!

They sent me 3 different items: 

Dreamies biscuit treats - Duck flavour
Almo Nature sachet packets x2 - Chicken flavour
Hills Science Plan Optimal Biscuits - Chicken flavour

Both my cats can be quite fussy but as soon as i opened the box the cats were hanging around me begging for treats! As you can see, Harley managed to knock some biscuits out of my hands and couldnt wait to get stuck in! Think its safe to say she enjoyed them. Davey woofed down a load of treats too so these are definitely are hit in my house.

They've had Dreamies before but had never tried the two other products but as you can see, both cats happily sat in the kitchen and ate a massive bowl full each. Anyone would think they hadnt been fed for a month! Greedy cats...

We are definitely going to be purchasing these again.

The links to the treats can be found here:

http://www.petshop.co.uk/brands/Hills.html
http://www.petshop.co.uk/brands/Almo-Nature.html
http://www.petshop.co.uk/brands/Dreamies.html

So if you want to treat your cat soon or want to try out a new cat food then i highly recommend visiting petshop.co.uk and purchasing some of these items! 


**Disclaimer: I received these products for the purpose of this honest review. All views are my own

Sailing

Im very lucky to live on the south coast near the water and near loads of gorgeous lakes. A couple of years ago we discovered a place in Fordinbridge near Ringwood who does sailing classes for people with disabilities. This would be perfect for the disabled man I support.

The sailing club is run by a group of of volunteers with sailing taking place from April right up until later in the year. We went for our first time of the year this morning and registered again for the year. To register it costs £22.50 plus £2.50 each time you visit. Well worth the money!

All the volunteers are incredibly helpful and its a really good place to meet new people whilst having a cup of tea in the sunshine.

People have the choice to go out in a boat on their own (training is needed) or you can go out in a little boat with one of the volunteers which the man i support does. Its a good chance for him to have a bit of time away from staff and have a bit of male company as all his staff are female.

The pontoon has two hoists attached to get everyone in the boats and there are some boats have high backed seats to help some people sit up better and be more comfy. Most people go out in the boats for about 30 mins but if its quiet you probably could have longer but 30 mins is a perfect time for the man i support.

The only downside about where the sailing takes place is the gravel car park which can be difficult to get wheelchairs over but theres always people on hand to help and also to get to and from the pontoon is a very steep concrete slope but again there is always people around!

We had a brilliant time today and the gorgeous weather certainly helped!

50 Things that make me happy!

My sister Elaine has nominated me to do my 50 things that make me happy. I've had a good think about what i want on my list and i think ive FINALLY got my list ready! My list will probably change alot as i think of new things but at the moment this is my 50 things! enjoy :)

1. Spending time with my family which thankfully I do alot!
2. Playing with my nephew Elliot - playing hide and seek with a 2 1/2 year old is very interesting!
3. Singing loudly whilst driving
4. Having an ice cold drink on a hot sunny day
5. Pay Day!!!
6. BBQ's.....mainly the smell! *drools*
7. Getting into my pjs after a long day at work
8. Singing along to a song and getting the lyrics right first time like a pro!
9. Seeing a musical at the theatre
10. Christmas Day!
11. The Eurovision song contest 
12. Seeing Mcfly live and having a good singalong with friends
13. Spontaneous days out with friends
14. Going for long drives on a sunny day with the window wound down
15. Having freshly washed hair
16. Fresh clean bedding
17. Eating Ben and Jerrys straight out of the tub
18. Beating my dad to a top answer when watching Pointless (!)
19. Sitting in front of the fire on a cold winters day
20. Having the house to myself
21. Cooking a meal from scratch and enjoying the taste once its cooked!
22. Treating myself to a take away
23. Watching tv with the cat curled up next to me
24. Turning off my alarm clock so i can have a nice long lie in
25. Getting stuck into a good book
26. Getting tweets of celebs
27. Meeting celebs!
28. Buying my nephew presents and seeing him run off with it all happy!
29. Getting cuddles off my nephew (even if i have to force him to hug me ha!)
30. Getting tickets for a concert when it sells out quickly
31. Eating so much food that you feel satisfyingly stuffed
32. Seeing the 2 disabled adults i care for healthy and happy
33. Getting a good bargain when out shopping
34. Looking through old family photos and having a giggle at our clothes we wore!
35. Wrapping myself up in the duvet on a cold night
36. Being at a concert when they shower you with confetti at the end
37. Going for days out with the 2 adults i support
38. Finding a pair of jeans that fit my midget legs perfectly!
39. Having a disney dvd marathon day
40. Going out with my 2 sisters
41. Booking a holiday!
42. Watching my nephew watch videos of himself and giggling like a loon!
43. Going on a road trip with friends to see bands live
44. Eating a magnum ice cream without dropping any of the chocolate!
45. Driving whilst the sun is setting....lovely!
46. Having lazy days doing nothing
47. Watching/listening to thunder and lightning
48. Having a good old gossip
49. Hot chocolate fudge cake with custard
50. Watching the film Hocus Pocus on Halloween - family tradition!!

Ta dah! Thats my list of 50 things to make me happy but no doubt that will change at some point!

Thanks elaine for nominating me - you can find her blog here! 

Marwell Zoo!

As a support worker im always trying to find exciting days out for the people we support so this week we've been to Marwell Zoo to make the most of the glorious sunshine we are having on the south coast at the moment!

Marwell zoo is only about an hour away from us so its a perfect day out!

When we arrived we got directed to the disabled parking spots which are located nice and close to the entrance and there is alot of disabled parking spots which is always good!

We made our way to the entrance which was located about 2 mins away and paid for entry which was about £16.50 with carer going for free. We also purchased a guide book for £2.99 which tells you about all the different animals and has a handy map at the back. After studying the map we discovered there is two routes you can take - a large one which takes you right round the zoo or a shorter one which takes you round most of the animals and cuts through by the house. We opted for the smaller route which was perfect for us.

The zoo is very big so you will need a good 4 hours to get round which is the time we spent wandering round nice and slowly and admiring all the animals and taking loads of photos. Everywhere was wheelchair friendly but quite hilly - we felt like we had been to the gym after walking round all day!! There was one slope by the lemurs that was incredibly steep! We had to get a couple of random people to help us down it to make sure we were safe but we had a giggle about it and the two men were very helpful!

The people I support loved looking round and really enjoyed waving at the people on the little train everytime it went past us. There is also a larger land train but its currently not working but this didn't really bother us.

Located all round the zoo are a number of different cafes and places selling ice creams but we decided to take our own picnic and found a nice spot next to the zebras to to have a sit down and eat our lunch. There was also plenty of toilets located in various parts of the zoo which all seemed accessible and nice and clean.

But i think the highlight for the two people i support was.....the gift shop!!! It was HUGE! They loved being about to look around without worrying about knocking things over and everything was responsibly priced too. For a giant cuddly snake (about a metre long!) , a badge, a magnet and a inflatable flamingo it cost us £19 - very much worth it! 

The only bit we really struggled with was the walk back to the car park. When we entered the zoo we didnt realise how steep the hill was until we headed through the exit - i thought i was going to pass out when we finally reached the car park!!!

But we had a really good day with loads of photos - and two happy people!

https://www.marwell.org.uk/zoo/