So, V festival...

[LollipopViolet]

Going to the V festival at Weston Park on Sunday, with my mate H. It's all parkland, apparently very few paths. It's been raining here constantly all week.

Come on, give it to me straight, I'm going to suffer when I'm pushing the wheelchair aren't I?

That's assuming it doesn't break (it's very fussy and tends to break at the worst possible time!), or they don't damage it loading it into the coach that's taking us from the station to the festival site.

So, the truth ladies, how hard is it going to be to push a wheelchair round a field all day? Any tips? Light hearted thread so you can all come and sympathise or otherwise! :)

you sure you dont want to book yourself into a nice warm spa instead

also LV - the shiney threads aren't being carried on in their previous form, but a few of us ladies are still posting in general health about life, the universe and dieting, so if you would like to pop in and say hello, the thread is here:-

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1018968-t-the-end-of-the-tunnel-it-s-LIGHTER

TC, our friend who is giving us the tickets did actually ask if we're still interested because of the weather, but my mate has said she would walk to the stage if it meant seeing Jason Derulo! I'm going to be exhausted by the end of it but it'll be a laugh, that's for sure!

the energy you young things have

have you checked out the v festival website? this is their disabled information page, it doesn't seem terribly informative tbh

www.vfestival.com/tickets/ticket-disabled-information

I was talking to a producer/director at my work experience placement, who filmed there with a young girl who was disabled and her exact words were, "They admit disabled guests, just don't expect anything but the most basic of help."

Hmmm this is gonna be interesting!

well that's the sort of vibe the v fest website gives off, isn't it...

Total - hope you enjoy it tomorrow. I live really close to the other V fest site and have been hearing the 'boom boom' beat all evening. Ds is complaining he can't sleep and when I looked in last he was singing along to Sex on Fire by the Kings of Leon!

Make use of your programme to work out when and where you want to be and minimise your trekking about. Smile at Marshalls, blow them kisses and they may just love you enough to help out.
Hope you enjoy it.

it's not me going, just Lollipop and her mate, I am far too fat and old to do that sort of thing, sigh.

Oops too much cider! Have a great time Lollipop and mate

i'd suggest saving your money and coming to Stafford for the day, come to the south west side and you can hear the music as clear as day. Saved me a lot of money and my house is wheelchair accessable!

Well, we survived!

It was actually really fun, only one incident with staff, which was quickly sorted. And one where our friend K (who we'd met up with) was confronted by a woman for using one of the disabled toilets. This woman had been told it was a disabled loo and she couldn't use it because you need a wrist band or ticket that says you're entitled to use the disabled facilities, she apparently pointed at K and said "SHE'S not disabled!" K's response? "Both your legs are attached to your body, one of mine isn't, so I think you'll find I am disabled."

We had help on and off the buses, and I even had help pushing the chair near the end, when my body had just given up! We hadn't even had to move round that much but by the end my brain was willing and my body was just too tired, so some lovely people helped me get us both back to the bus stop! Viewing platforms were great, for me too, I was actually able to SEE the stage!!! It was great.

We're camping next year, definitely! :)

Oooh, forgot a few things in that last post.

We were asked by a lovely lady if we could watch her DS while she went to the loo. We obliged, and ended up making a new friend :). Her DS was on the autistic spectrum and apparently had a penchant for running off. So we were left with strict orders not to let him, and he was told "you mustn't run off because this lady is in a wheelchair so she can't run after you." I actually said if he did, I'd run after him. I would've too, but he was great, sat there talking to my mate til his mum came back, and we're hopefully going to keep in touch with his mum because she was just so nice!

And, you can tell those wheelchair users who've done a festival before. One guy had a chair you could attach a 5th wheel to (like on a racing chair, but smaller iyswim?) and another man had HUGE off road tires on his rear wheels! We could've used them, definitely!