Tag Archives: accessible attractions

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Attractions: The State Rooms, Buckingham Palace

Quingo Scooters aims to deliver to you a weekly dose of the UK’s best attractions and days out, perfect for you and your family. With so many attractions to choose, from we’ve narrowed it down to a truly royal day out!

We’re taking you to the capital, London, as part of our Accessible Attractions guide. The city itself it boasts a huge number of attractions – enough to keep you busy for a couple of days. However, in light of the recent celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s 91st birthday, we decided a royal day out would be fitting.

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A true royal

Plan your visit to the spectacular State Rooms in Buckingham Palace, serving as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. Did you know that it’s one of the last few remaining working royal palaces in the world? During the warm summer months visitors can tour the grand State Rooms when the Palace is not being used in its official capacity.

The State Rooms were designed for Monarchs to receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries. Still to this day, the Queen and members of the Royal Family use the rooms to entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions.

The rooms

The Palace’s 19 State Rooms reflect the style tastes of George IV, who commissioned the Architect John Nash to transform the Palace previously known as Buckingham House. Many of the featured pieces of furniture, such as sparkling chandeliers, candelabra and other works of art, were bought or made for Carlton House – George IV’s London home when he was Prince of Wales.

In the present day, the State Rooms are furnished with many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection; including paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, a sculpture by Canova, exquisite pieces of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.

Many of the State Rooms have a particular use even today. In the Throne Room, the Queen on special occasions such as Jubilees, receives loyal addresses. On 29 April 2011, the room was used for the setting of the formal photographs following the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

In the Music Room, guests are presented to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Visiting Head of State on the occasion of a State visit. The White Drawing Room, one of the grandest of all the State Rooms, serves as a royal reception room for The Queen and members of the Royal Family to gather before official occasions.

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Admissions and opening times

The Palace is open from Saturday 22 July – Thursday 31 August from 9.30am – 7.30pm with the last admission at 5.15pm. From Friday 1 September – Sunday 1 October the Palace is open from 9.30am – 6.30pm with the last admission at 4.15pm. Typically a visit lasts two to two and a half hours. Tickets for adults are £23, over 60s and students £21, under 17s and disabled people £13, under 5s go free and for families (two adults, three under 17) £59. More information can be found here. 

An accessible attraction

There is accessibility access and step-free access available via a separate entrance at the front of the Palace. For guests wishing to utilise this, they must pre-book by contacting the Specialist Sales team, for more information click here. There is access for Scooter Users, access is within the Quadrangle and the Garden as well as being permitted inside the Palace providing they are compatible for the lifts. For more information on access in and around the Palace click here. Parking is available for those visitors that are disability-parking pass-holders who require step-free access, however this must be pre-booked before visiting by contacting the Specialist Sales team (mentioned prior).

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Attractions: Emmerdale Studio Tour

At Quingo Scooters, we bring you detailed guides of the most Accessible Attractions in the UK. You’re never a stone’s throw away from a great day out to be spent with family or friends! Keep reading for this week’s Accessible Attraction…

Today we’re taking you to the heart of Yorkshire – Leeds – where we’ve discovered a fantastic day out for soap lovers! How would you fancy spending the day visiting the set of your favourite countryside soap? Now you can! Experience the Emmerdale Studio Tour at the former ITV Studios, where you can get the full soap star experience!

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Editorial credit: James W Copeland / Shutterstock.com

The tour  

The Emmerdale Tour enables visitors to discover how the most popular characters and storylines are brought to life. Visitors are also able to see how the production process brings everything together into one, to create the show you see on your TV! You’ll also have the opportunity to see full scale set reconstructions, preserved props and costumes as well as the secrets behind the stunts and special effects.

As part of the tour, visitors will be able to take home a souvenir to remember their soap experience – a photograph behind the bar at The Woolpack! You can also buy some exclusive Emmerdale merchandise if you fancy too. And, after a day of exploring the set, you can enjoy a coffee and a bite to eat in the Café.

An interesting fact is the character of Sandy Thomas had a Quingo Vitess scooter that he enjoyed for some time before it was stolen!

Tickets and Times

The Emmerdale Studio Experience lasts for approximately 80-minutes, and it is advised to your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment! The tours run regularly throughout the day from 10am Monday-Friday and 9.30am on Saturdays. The experience advises to arrive 10 minutes before the allocated time slot of your tour.

The prices for the tour are: £21 for adults, £19.50 for children (5-15), £20 for concessions, £68 for families (two adults and two children / one adult and three children) and under 5’s and carers are free. For more information on opening times and prices, visit the Emmerdale Experience opening times and prices page here.

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Accessibility

If you have any specific accessibility requirements, simply make staff aware when booking your tickets. Mobility scooter users are able to access all areas of the Studio Experience. The tour allows for one wheelchair or scooter per tour to ensure the safe evacuation of all guests in the event of an emergency. For those visitors that may need assistance using the stairs, the Experience has an Evac+Chair. In the main entrance of the foyer you’ll find an accessible toilet.

Although there is no disabled parking available on site, drop off is permitted for visitors at the entrance. Also, immediately opposite the tour, there is a Leeds City Council car park with 8 accessible parking bays (free for blue badge holders). For more accessibility information visit the accessibility section of the website here.

Getting there

Leeds train station is around 20-minutes away from the Emmerdale Studio Experience, and you can grab a taxi from outside the train station – this will take just 5-10-minutes. For more information on train services to Leeds visit the National Rail website here. There are two bus stops within close proximity of the Emmerdale Studio Experience; Burley Road which is three minutes away for the 19, 19A, 49, 50 and 50A services, and Kirkstall Road which is five minutes away for the 5, 33, 33A, 508, 670, 757 and 760 bus services. For more information on the bus services in Leeds visit the First Group website here.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters, Tips and Advice

Quingo Accessible Attractions: Chelmsford Museum

Picking your next day out can be hard when there’s so much choice! Here at Quingo Scooters we’ve created a handy guide to some of the country’s best Accessible Attractions. From a fast-paced day in the biggest cities to something a little quieter in the countryside, we’ve got plenty to choose from!

This week we’re taking you down south to Essex, home to beautiful countryside views and only a short journey from London. This week’s Accessible Attraction is Chelmsford Museum – definitely one for those who love their history!

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What’s on offer?

The Chelmsford Museum is situated in a large Victorian house, which you’ll find in a public park. There are exhibitions that cover geology, archaeology, numismatics, local history, fine and decorative art and natural history. The Essex Regiment exhibition can also be found here.

The story of Chelmsford exhibition takes visitors through the history of Chelmsford through Chelmer Valley from the Ice Ages to the present day, visiting the major archaeological monuments and sites in the district along the way. Some of the magnificent sites you’ll see here are Ice Age mammal remains, Bronze Age earthwork at Springfield, Chelmsford cathedral and many more interesting artefacts!

The Essex Regiment exhibition showcases the story of the county Regiment from its origins in 1741. In this exhibition, it explains the nickname ‘The Pompadours’ and follows the Regiment’s fortunes throughout major conflicts in the British Empire, World Wars and the Korean War. There are various Regimental trophies displayed, including the famous Salamanca Eagle – a Napoleonic standard captured from the French in 1812.

The Second World War (1939-45) exhibition details the work of the 2nd Battalion (the ‘Pompadours’) and how they were first in the field. They then moved on to France in September 1939, and were part of the retreat to, and withdrawal from Dunkirk in May 1940. They landed on D Day in 1944, and fought through without respite to the final capitulation of Germany in May 1945.

Getting there

Travelling to Chelmsford Museum is very convenient from the Capital, as there is a frequent service by train from London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford on the Anglian (East Coast) line. The museum is located just a short distance from the railway station. Public buses run regularly, the nearest stop is adjacent to Moulsham Street opposite The Rising Sun public house. For more information on planning your visit to Chelmsford Museum, check out the ‘Getting There’ section of the museum’s website.

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An accessible day out

Chelmsford Museum’s staff are all trained in accessibility, and are always available to offer assistance if required. The museum has dedicated parking for blue badge holders and is fully accessible for scooter users. On the lead up to the main entrance of the museum, there are gentle slopes and smooth surfaces with automatic doors at the main entrance. The museum has level access throughout and lifts to all of the floors, as well as wide doorways for scooter users. For more information on accessibility within the museum, visit the website here.

 About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Attractions: Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

The UK is full of incredible attractions, enjoyed by millions of us each year. Brimming with culture and excitement, we’re pretty much spoiled for choice. So, at Quingo Scooters we’ve put together a guide to the UK’s best accessible attractions to help you decide what sights suit for your perfect day out.

This week, we’re heading to Scotland to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Set in Glasgow, it’s one of Scotland’s most popular free attractions and great for a day filled with culture – a big hit with locals and tourists since it opened in 1901.

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Wide and varied collections

The museum has 22 themed galleries that display an impressive 8,000 objects, from paintings and sculptures to mammals and armour, all brought together through Glasgow Museums’ rich and varied collections. As a Recognised Collection of National Significance, the displays are delicately put together with an extensive collection of themes, such as:

  • Dutch Old Masters and French Impressionists – includes a fine Dutch and Flemish collection from the 17th century, which is also one of the UK’s largest. As well as this, it is the home of some of the most important collections of 19th century French oils in the UK.
  • Scottish Art – incredible art dedicated to the Glasgow Boys and Scottish Colourists and the newly acquired ‘Glasgow Fair’ by John Knox.
  • Salvador Dali’s Christ of St John of the Cross.
  • Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style – dedicated to the magnificent work of one of Glasgow’s most famous sons and the UK’s contribution to Art Nouveau with the style movement.
  • Natural History – including dinosaurs and other prehistoric mammals.
  • Arms and Amour – a collection holding international significance, including the R L Scott bequest, one of the finest private collections of European arms and amour in the world.
  • Ancient Egypt – of national significance and features several objects of unique importance linked to historical figures. One of the most impressive collections on display at Kelvingrove.
  • Scottish History and Archaeology –includes a wealth of material relating to the early settlements across Scotland and life on St Kilda.
  • World Cultures – artefacts from the Americas, Africa, South Asia and Oceania.

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Accessibility features  

The Kelvingrove is very accessible; it has 10 disabled parking spaces reserved for blue badge holders, all of which are free of charge and free from time restrictions, allowing plenty of time to explore the captivating exhibits fully. There are two lifts in the venue to take visitors from the lower ground floor entrance to each of the floors. There is a lift at the Argyle Street entrance that provides access to the museum. Accessible toilets are available on each floor, as well as adult changing facilities in the fully accessible toilets on the lower and upper ground floors. Kelvingrove is fully accessible for scooter users, all of the floors can be reached via lift.

The museum has been designed to allow access for scooter users between the displays and cases. As well as this, all displays/cases and interactive activities are at the right height for scooter users. For more information on accessibility at the Kelvingrove Museum visit their Accessibility Information page here.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.

Attractions, Days Out, Quingo Scooters

Quingo Accessible Attractions: Steven Joseph Theatre

Wherever you travel in the UK, you’ll be greeted by a treasure trove of fantastic cultural attractions which you can explore as a mobility scooter user. It’s hard to know where to check out first, so Quingo Scooters is putting together a guide to the UK’s most accessible attractions to help you decide.

We’re taking you on a trip to the seaside this week, as we head to the town of Scarborough. This North Yorkshire town is known for its golden sandy beaches, thrilling amusements and breath-taking historic ruins, but one of its highlights is undoubtedly the Steven Joseph Theatre.

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Take in a show

The Steven Joseph Theatre has served as one of Scarborough’s top cultural sites for decades. It was originally opened as a small ‘theatre in the round’ on the first floor of a public library in 1955 by actor Steven Joseph. It flourished but struggled to find a permanent home until the existing Steven Joseph Theatre was set up in an old Odeon cinema in 1996 and it has thrived ever since.

You can visit the Steven Joseph to take in a range of shows from kid’s pantos to gripping dramas. It has two stages, the first of which is ‘The Round Theatre;’ a unique circular space, where you can get a 360 degree view of all the action on stage. It also has ‘The McCarthy Theatre’ – a more traditional stage. Shows expected to come to the Steven Joseph this year include Little Voice, Grimm’s Tales, Cyrano and Charlie and the Light Fantastic, so you’re sure to find something for every member of the group.

If you check out the Steven Joseph Theatre website’s what’s on page, you can find a full list of its existing and upcoming productions, along with details on showing times and ticket prices. The Steven Joseph Theatre also boasts a shop, where you can pick up fantastic handcrafted items made by the finest local artisans. It also contains restaurant/bar space, where you can relax with a meal and a drink in the intermission, whilst waiting with baited breath for your show to commence once more.

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Accessible venue

The Steven Joseph is a great attraction for any mobility scooter user, as it is incredibly accessible. You can get to the Steven Joseph Theatre with little fuss, as it is situated a few minutes away from Scarborough train station. There are accessible parking bays located on nearby Albemarle Crescent, while if you’re a blue badge holder, you can park for free on Hannover Road just 20 metres away from the theatre. Check out the website’s visiting us page to find more information on the different ways of getting there.

You will be able to navigate your way around the Steven Joseph Theatre with ease. The building is accessible by ramp, which is located on the right side of its entrance. You can then take another ramp from the entrance up to the box office, allowing you to book tickets to whatever show takes your fancy. There are also accessible toilets dotted around the Steven Joseph Theatre.

The Theatre is just as accessible inside as it is outside. There are lifts to the shop, restaurant/bar and both The Round Theatre and The McCarthy Theatre. There are accessible seats in both theatres, located close to the lifts. You can also request accessible seating on the front row of both theatres by contacting staff at least 24 hours before you arrive. Visit the website’s access page, to find out more about accessibility at the Steven Joseph Theatre.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.