NEW FEATURE ON WHATPUB
I’m pleased to report that CAMRA’s Pub and Club Campaigns Committee has been working with AccessAble (formerly DisabledGo) which is a dedicated website giving details of access arrangements designed to give people with mobility difficulties the precise information that they need to work out if a place is going to be accessible to them.
Consequently, WhatPub, CAMRA’s on-line pub guide, has recently been upgraded to include a direct link to their site. All you need to do is click on the panel, which you will find in the middle of the front page of each pub’s entry.
GREENE KING IMPROVE SIGNAGE
Following consultation with the Crohn’s & Colitis UK and SeeAbility charities, GK will also be fitting improved signs to the accessible toilets in its pubs with the aim of educating and reminding customers that not every disability is visible. People who suffer from Crohn’s or Colitis may appear not to have a disability on the surface but they may need to use the accessible toilets urgently. Furthermore, there are over a million people in the UK with learning disabilities and autism and 10% of the population have problems with their sight so SeeAbility welcome the new signs because they make the accessible toilets easier to identify and include writing in Braille. Nick Mackenzie, GK’s chief executive, told the Morning Advertiser, “We know that many of our customers have disabilities that aren’t always visible and we want them to feel comfortable using the disabled toilets. We also hope that by working with Crohn’s & Colitis UK and SeeAbility that these new signs will help voice awareness and stop the stigma and discrimination of people with hidden health conditions.”
THE CABBAGE PATCH CHARITY
The Cabbage Patch, a Fuller’s pub in Twickenham, organises an annual ten mile race for charity around Richmond, Kingston and Twickenham called the Cabbage Patch Ten. They have been doing so since 1982 when they raised £30 but this year it was £15,000, and the total over the years now stands at a creditable £150,000. The beneficiary is the Clarendon School, whose pupils, of both primary and secondary school age, have moderate learning difficulties and additional complex needs. Specifically they fund a facility called the Sensory Patch which has interactive lighting and projectors to help develop motor skills and engagement, as well as literacy and numeracy skills. The pub’s manager, Stuart Green, told the Morning Advertiser, “Witnessing the official opening of the Sensory Patch was one of the most humbling experiences of my career. It was so lovely to see the difference that you can make. I know it will help so many of these kids to develop, and that does bring a tear to your eye.”
ROLLING OUT THE BARREL
Another charity event, this time for the ‘It’s on the Ball’ campaign to raise awareness of testicular cancer. It is being staged by Moon Gazer Ales at the Norfolk Brewhouse in Hindringham, Norfolk, whose David Holliday will be pushing a cask of beer (on a barrow) from the brewery to the Houses of Parliament via St Bartholomew’s Hospital. The 143 mile journey is expected to take some nine days, staying at pubs each night. David hopes to have some sort of ‘do’ for the charity at each pub. On Day Eight (30 April) David reaches London, going from Chipping Ongar to Loughton, and on 1 May, he finishes at the Houses of Parliament where Norman Lamb MP, whose constituency includes the brewery, will be treating him to a well deserved pint. If you want to check the route, go to www.moongazerale.co.uk/ 2019/10/15/beer-push-day-by-day-check-out-our-route-and-see-how-you-can-join-in-the-fun/. If you would like to donate, go to David’s Just Giving Page
Compiled by Tony Hedger