Thanks to the support of Portsmouth City Council, our monthly Over 25 Co-production & Social Group came together on Saturday for another fantastic social, with 10 members enjoying breakfast at Mumms Cafe.
For some of our members, the morning began a little earlier as they joined James for the first session of our new Independent Travel Training programme. Travelling together on the Number 2 bus from the north of the city to Southsea gave participants the opportunity to build confidence using public transport, develop their independence and enjoy a welcoming social activity at the end of the journey.
As with any pilot programme, the first session also gave us the opportunity to observe some of the challenges that disabled passengers can experience when travelling independently.
During our journey, we witnessed our bus pulling away while a mother with a young child and a pushchair were still settling safely into their seats. We also experienced a situation where one of our participants, who uses a walking frame, wasn’t offered the accessibility ramp despite the bus stopping some distance from the kerb. This made bridging the gap off of the bus more difficult than it needed to be.
We appreciate that bus drivers work under significant time pressures and have a challenging job balancing safety, timetables and passenger needs. These observations aren’t intended as criticism of an individual driver, but they do highlight why independent travel training is so valuable and why continued awareness of accessibility can make such a difference to people’s confidence and independence.
Overall, it was a hugely successful morning, with lots of laughter, good conversation and another opportunity for members to build friendships in a relaxed environment.
Our next Over 25 Social Group takes place on Monday 10th August, and we’d love to welcome new members.
If you’re aged 25 or over and would like to find out more, please email coproduction@enableability.org.uk. We can also send you a link to join our WhatsApp group so you don’t miss future activities and updates.
We look forward to welcoming you soon.
