Not long back from 2 days in London with my friend H. And I am happy to report, I can't really say a bad word against anyone we met. A lot of people think London is very anti social and everyone's rude and horrible. SO not true! As I've said before, my friend is a wheelchair user, which can pose some challenges when we're in a new environment and don't know what we're doing. I'll give a rundown of the good things people did for us:
Helped us hail a taxi from the taxi rank in the train station
Helped with the wheelchair in and out of taxis (this was the drivers)
Booked taxis for us (hotel)
Helped us out at breakfast carrying stuff (hotel again)
Giving good directions etc
Stopping the London Eye to get us on (easy peasy)
When we went on a river cruise, we were asked "Would you like to go onto the top deck of the boat? We have a lift up and you're welcome to use it" so we did
Being shown and assisted to our seats at the o2
Hotel room was easily accessible, and all the handrails etc in the bathroom had been made to match in, they weren't that awful white sore thumb that they usually are.
The only problem we had was with Network Rail in Euston. They just could not be bothered. Took them 10 minutes to get us off the train yesterday, we very nearly decided that we'd get the chair off and then I'd help H down the step. Same today, rang for help getting from the taxi rank and got "Yeah, alright" and then no-one turning up, luckily someone told us where the lift was! Then when it came to getting on the train "Do you require a ramp?". I'm not kidding, I wanted to bang my head against a brick wall. Then the guy wandered off, took ages coming back, shouted at us because we were waiting at the wrong end of the carriage, and, unlike EVERY other person who's helped us onto trains, let ME struggle pushing the chair up the ramp. Luckily when we go back home, the station staff were there waiting with the ramp and were, as ever, very helpful.
I will point out, this is Network Rail, NOT individual companies, Virgin, who we used, were brilliant both days.
PS: We went to see Dancing on Ice on tour, in case you wondered, then had today in London.