Proud to be an Iron Maiden fan
Missed Pride for the second time in 11 years, because before Christmas I'd bought a ticket for Iron Maiden's only UK gig this year. I ended up having to put some effort into figuring out how to access it, given that it turned out I'm not only 7 months pregnant (standing ticket: not so good) but can't walk more than 50-100 yards (Twickenham stadium - bit further from any transport).
It went very well - after trying a self-propel wheelchair on Thursday and realising it would only be useful as a walking frame, I swapped it for a lightweight get-pushed one. On Friday the physio gave me a support belt which actually reduces the pain when I toddle, even though I can't go faster or further. So got to Waterloo by two buses, although got dropped somewhere in a building site at Waterloo and the signs for level access stopped nowhere, so I decided I needed to put the belt on temporarily over my clothes despite the great naffness of it (they don't come in black!), got my ticket and lunch and met oilrig's friend R who could then push me.
I'd looked up Twickenham station's access, and the headline is "Full wheelchair access." Except the small print includes "From London, via staff-operated stairlift." Being a busy day, no problem finding staff on the platform and one followed us to the stairs and let the stairlift platform down. Took some effort to tilt the chair enough to get it up onto the lift, and then the guy tried to send it up.
It didn't work. Repeatedly. Apparently it had both yesterday and a few minutes earlier. In the end I climbed up the banisters. I was not amused by the station guy saying it must be because I+chair were over the 31 stone weight limit! Half that at most!!
But then very smooth - staff in the ticket hall apologised profusely for the lift and offered to chase it up, and assured me that the return journey would only involve going through the car park and a side gate to the platform. R pushed me without incident to the Eel Pie on Church St - a pleasant pub where two friends were already sitting outside, and slowly the rest of the crowd arrived (oilrig and L who I had met at Bifest, and lastly the guy who had missed Maiden 20 years ago thanks to being whisked on a family holiday, was determined to see them this time but had managed to book his own fmaily holiday to return that same morning - and then his flight was delayed 3 hours...) There were two steps into the pub and then one down to the room with the loos, but there was an excellent disabled loo once there which I appreciated. Having my own chair to ensure I could always sit with the others outside helped a lot. So we stayed outside the pub from 4 to around 7, enjoying the sunshine and drinks. Excellent summer Saturday afternoon!
Then to the stadium - L took over pushing me and managed to ram a couple people's ankles with my footplates before I realised the need to shout lots "Watch out! Drunk person pushing wheelchair!" and poke people out of the way with my stick. Once past the station R mainly took over again (he'd been a PA so had practice of wheelchair-pushing and was more sober), and my shouted warnings were more about ridges in the pavement. Once near the stadium we had to give up on the pavement as it was too chopped-up and had building site materials blocking dropped kerbs - just as well there were 50,000 Maiden fans to stop traffic.
Once at the venue, painlessly swapped 2 tickets for the wheelchair area for me and L (she wanted to sit, being tired after Glastonbury and a new job last week), although two different stewards both sent us the wrong way to our seats). But by 8pm we were in the right area and given our own 6-foot square of space with a folding chair, very close to the right of the stage. If we'd got there earlier we could have been a bit further back so at less of an angle, but that's a minor quibble - we were in a prime place to be close to the moshing mob while not having to expend the energy to be there. Also good views of lots of policemen in leather trousers...
Excellent gig - proper stadium rock with fireworks, loads of vibrating bass, old favourites, chat from the frontman, and in particular Bruce Dickinson (looking good for his age) in a Sharpe-like redcoat and torn and tasselled PVC trousers waving a huge Union flag. Afterwards L got me to a T-shirt stall where we tried to make our presence loud so people wouldn't get hurt tripping over the chair - a chap offered to get a shirt for me which was useful as they'd sold out of many styles and sizes. I got an XXL in the end in the style I wanted - it's not actually that big over Squirmy!
L tried phoning the others, but as they seemed to be talking about gates that didn't exist I sent a text and we found oilrig, who it transpired had lost his more-drunk friends, so he and L pushed me back to the station through the milling crowds. Fortunately all the local roads were closed so we could go down the middle of them rather than deal with pavements. The station crowd control was excellent, London- and outward-bound pax separated from a long way back, and a crowd allowed onto the station each time a train left. L and oilrig got me to the platform - the police and staff ushered us around about 4 trains-worth of people through the parking lot to a platform, and were all ready with ramps for another person, so I ended up on the train and in a seat with complete ease. At the other end I walked the chair down the ramp and put my belt back on (handily hidden this time under the Maiden shirt!), when a fan offered me a push back to the concourse, which I accepted. Lift down to Waterloo Road, cross street to bus stop, and a 59 turned up within a minute - again people helpfully got the chair on and off the bus. Changed bus at Telford Avenue - a couple people took over folding the chair and stowing it in the wheelchair space as I slumped in a seat. A spectacularly gormless chap was in the way of the wheelchair space and I think he got his toes run over, but not my problem. Bit awkward alighting as there's a step to the kerb, but that was the home stretch.
So home by 1 am. Thanks to the chair I'm no more tired today than going to the hospital or antenatal class locally. Many, many thanks to oilrig and R+L who made it possible for me to be there. And a very chilled day. As I went through Waterloo around midnight it was not the usual Sat-night-pub-clising-time aggro, but very calm, full of Maiden fans and people who looked like they'd been to Pride. And, judging by some combinations of T-shirts with badges and hats, quite a proportion of people who'd enjoyed both. :)
Scary bit is I only have 3 more things (all easier) in my diary before giving birth...
It went very well - after trying a self-propel wheelchair on Thursday and realising it would only be useful as a walking frame, I swapped it for a lightweight get-pushed one. On Friday the physio gave me a support belt which actually reduces the pain when I toddle, even though I can't go faster or further. So got to Waterloo by two buses, although got dropped somewhere in a building site at Waterloo and the signs for level access stopped nowhere, so I decided I needed to put the belt on temporarily over my clothes despite the great naffness of it (they don't come in black!), got my ticket and lunch and met oilrig's friend R who could then push me.
I'd looked up Twickenham station's access, and the headline is "Full wheelchair access." Except the small print includes "From London, via staff-operated stairlift." Being a busy day, no problem finding staff on the platform and one followed us to the stairs and let the stairlift platform down. Took some effort to tilt the chair enough to get it up onto the lift, and then the guy tried to send it up.
It didn't work. Repeatedly. Apparently it had both yesterday and a few minutes earlier. In the end I climbed up the banisters. I was not amused by the station guy saying it must be because I+chair were over the 31 stone weight limit! Half that at most!!
But then very smooth - staff in the ticket hall apologised profusely for the lift and offered to chase it up, and assured me that the return journey would only involve going through the car park and a side gate to the platform. R pushed me without incident to the Eel Pie on Church St - a pleasant pub where two friends were already sitting outside, and slowly the rest of the crowd arrived (oilrig and L who I had met at Bifest, and lastly the guy who had missed Maiden 20 years ago thanks to being whisked on a family holiday, was determined to see them this time but had managed to book his own fmaily holiday to return that same morning - and then his flight was delayed 3 hours...) There were two steps into the pub and then one down to the room with the loos, but there was an excellent disabled loo once there which I appreciated. Having my own chair to ensure I could always sit with the others outside helped a lot. So we stayed outside the pub from 4 to around 7, enjoying the sunshine and drinks. Excellent summer Saturday afternoon!
Then to the stadium - L took over pushing me and managed to ram a couple people's ankles with my footplates before I realised the need to shout lots "Watch out! Drunk person pushing wheelchair!" and poke people out of the way with my stick. Once past the station R mainly took over again (he'd been a PA so had practice of wheelchair-pushing and was more sober), and my shouted warnings were more about ridges in the pavement. Once near the stadium we had to give up on the pavement as it was too chopped-up and had building site materials blocking dropped kerbs - just as well there were 50,000 Maiden fans to stop traffic.
Once at the venue, painlessly swapped 2 tickets for the wheelchair area for me and L (she wanted to sit, being tired after Glastonbury and a new job last week), although two different stewards both sent us the wrong way to our seats). But by 8pm we were in the right area and given our own 6-foot square of space with a folding chair, very close to the right of the stage. If we'd got there earlier we could have been a bit further back so at less of an angle, but that's a minor quibble - we were in a prime place to be close to the moshing mob while not having to expend the energy to be there. Also good views of lots of policemen in leather trousers...
Excellent gig - proper stadium rock with fireworks, loads of vibrating bass, old favourites, chat from the frontman, and in particular Bruce Dickinson (looking good for his age) in a Sharpe-like redcoat and torn and tasselled PVC trousers waving a huge Union flag. Afterwards L got me to a T-shirt stall where we tried to make our presence loud so people wouldn't get hurt tripping over the chair - a chap offered to get a shirt for me which was useful as they'd sold out of many styles and sizes. I got an XXL in the end in the style I wanted - it's not actually that big over Squirmy!
L tried phoning the others, but as they seemed to be talking about gates that didn't exist I sent a text and we found oilrig, who it transpired had lost his more-drunk friends, so he and L pushed me back to the station through the milling crowds. Fortunately all the local roads were closed so we could go down the middle of them rather than deal with pavements. The station crowd control was excellent, London- and outward-bound pax separated from a long way back, and a crowd allowed onto the station each time a train left. L and oilrig got me to the platform - the police and staff ushered us around about 4 trains-worth of people through the parking lot to a platform, and were all ready with ramps for another person, so I ended up on the train and in a seat with complete ease. At the other end I walked the chair down the ramp and put my belt back on (handily hidden this time under the Maiden shirt!), when a fan offered me a push back to the concourse, which I accepted. Lift down to Waterloo Road, cross street to bus stop, and a 59 turned up within a minute - again people helpfully got the chair on and off the bus. Changed bus at Telford Avenue - a couple people took over folding the chair and stowing it in the wheelchair space as I slumped in a seat. A spectacularly gormless chap was in the way of the wheelchair space and I think he got his toes run over, but not my problem. Bit awkward alighting as there's a step to the kerb, but that was the home stretch.
So home by 1 am. Thanks to the chair I'm no more tired today than going to the hospital or antenatal class locally. Many, many thanks to oilrig and R+L who made it possible for me to be there. And a very chilled day. As I went through Waterloo around midnight it was not the usual Sat-night-pub-clising-time aggro, but very calm, full of Maiden fans and people who looked like they'd been to Pride. And, judging by some combinations of T-shirts with badges and hats, quite a proportion of people who'd enjoyed both. :)
Scary bit is I only have 3 more things (all easier) in my diary before giving birth...