Christine Tongue is a founder member of disability campaign group Access Thanet
I went along to the last Broadstairs Town Forum – by mistake, as I thought it was the Town Assembly, where all the councillors line up to bat away hard questions from residents about what’s going on here.
This was a much gentler event. The various voluntary groups who get help or encouragement from the Town Council came together to talk about what had been going on in the last year.
Ranging from volunteer gardeners, beautifying our flower beds, to community festivals and rewilding our grass verges with native flowers, there was much for the town to congratulate itself on.
We commemorated D Day, raised funds for Downs Syndrome children, raised awareness of dementia, set up cafes in Pierremont Hall and sessions where people could exchange jigsaw puzzles to socialise and decrease loneliness in our community.
We celebrated saving the hedgehogs in Mocketts Wood by building tunnels under the fence so they can move around freely..
The town celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Hugin duplicate Viking ship arriving – that’s why Viking Bay is called Viking because that’s where the ship landed, before it was taken to Pegwell to perpetrate the myth that the Vikings were there.
If you go to the York Viking museum there’s a short report of Viking merchants coming to Thanet and being seen off very violently by the locals…..
But it’s nice to have an excuse for a celebration. After all the Christmas Fair – coming up in November – is mostly pagan stuff that Jesus had nothing to do with. But we all love it anyhow!
I went along as a representative of Access Thanet, and see my job as casting gloom on all the flowers and optimism as I grumble about access.
My first obstacle was actually getting into the building.
Pierremont Hall now has a lovely metal ramp up to the back door of the building. With a GATE!! I have a terrifying horn on my mobility scooter but if no one’s around to hear it, I’m on my own.
So, I scoot to the gate, pull it a bit, scoot back a bit, reach over and pull it a bit – about six times. Get it open just as Councillor Mike Garner notices I’m on the list of attendees and rushes out to see if the gate’s open. So once again, a thoughtful piece of architecture made more challenging by thoughtless design.
One of the councillors asked how they could make Pierremont Park more welcoming as there are so many events there. People talked about reducing litter, refurbishing shabby benches but for folk with mobility problems there are two basic issues: “Lavs and steps!” I said.
One entrance to the park is flat, the other has one substantial unmarked step, that from inside the park looks like a slope onto the main road – death trap for wheel users.
And the only accessible toilet is inside the hall. I refused the offered refreshments so I didn’t have to explore it. A lot of us do that. It’s not good for us.
The gardens on Broadstairs seafront are beautiful again because the council has put the old gardeners back in charge – it was farmed out externally until this year. But, I grumbled, wheel users can’t see the nicest ones because the hedges are too high.
Something will be done.
Apologies for raining on the parade of good news about fulfilling the town council’s aims of cleaner, kinder and safer Broadstairs, but if I can’t see the flowers, go the loo, or find a dropped kerb, I’m going to tell the other wheel and stick users to stay away! We just want to be as valuable to the town council as a lost hedgehog.
