At the weekend I flew to Belfast for #LetWomenSpeak (more on that later). It was the first time I’d flown since being in the chair and I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve heard horror stories of help not being available and chairs being damaged in transit but I figured that a short, one-leg flight like Newcastle to Belfast would be less likely to end in disaster.

I didn’t have any problems at all. Both journeys went smoothly, even though the return flight was delayed.

In case you’re wondering, this is how it works (at least for Easyjet flights from Newcastle to Belfast and back).

I checked in as normal, although it’s anyone’s guess how the woman behind the big tall desk could see over it to match my face with my passport. I could have been anyone! Since I was travelling with my own chair, someone came running over to put a tag on it.

Then I was directed to the Special Assistance desk, which was nearby. They took my details and told me which gate to go to. I was taken through the priority security queue where the xrayed my carry-on as usual and swabbed me (presumably for drugs and explosives) and frisked me. I didn’t have to get out of the chair.

The gate was set up for Special Assistance. A few other passengers and I waited there until a kind of truck on scissors came to pick us up. I took my chair right into the truck, which drove to the plane and plugged itself into one of the doors. Then I left my chair at the plane door and got myself to my seat by hanging onto headrests. There was a special narrow wheelchair available in case I was unable to do that.

When I got to Belfast, I waited until the plane was empty, by which time the scissor truck was waiting with my chair already waiting. We were right by the gate so there was no need to drive. The truck just descended and I rolled off and was taken through a locked entrance and escorted to the public part of the airport. I was asked whether I needed help with ongoing transport, which I didn’t.

The trip home worked in almost exactly the same way, except that there was no dedicated Special Assistance gate. I was to wait at the normal gate for the flight where I’d be met by Special Assistance staff as boarding was announced and taken through a labyrinth to get on to the scissor truck. The only mildly stressful part of either journey was that the flight home was delayed and the gate changed, so I wasn’t sure whether to keep waiting where I was or move to the new gate. I moved to the new one, where the guy found me and got me onto the plane.

It was all really smooth and the staff were very helpful and obviously trained. They asked me what I was capable of rather than making assumptions. I’ve no doubt that a longer trip with multiple flights might raise a lot of different issues but I’m more confident about trying it one day, if the need ever arises.

This incredible, brave young woman brought the house down. Earlier in the day, Bran and her mother told me Bran’s story. I won’t tell it here, I’m hoping someone with some reach and talent will write about it first. But trust me: it’s testament to her bravery and character.

I’m catching a flight this weekend, for the first time since being in the chair. I can’t say I’m not a little bit nervous about two things:

• Getting onto the plane, since this is a short flight on a small plane and there won’t be one of those pokey-out bridge things. I’ll make it up the stairs somehow, but it might involve shuffling on my arse.
• My chair making it through the flight intact. I’ve heard some horror stories.

It’s a short flight (Newcastle to Belfast) with no transfers so I’m reasonably confident. EasyJet assures me I can just turn up at the plane steps in my chair and they’ll sort everything out. Even so, I think I’ll take my stupidly expensive wheels instead of my completely ridiculously stupidly expensive wheels, just to be on the safe side.

I’ll let you know how it goes. And I’ll tell you what I’m doing in Belfast in a later post.

I’m doing four wheelchair half marathons this year on behalf of nia, which runs services for women and girls who have been subjected to sexual and domestic violence, including prostitution. You can donate to my crowdfunder to support nia. My first half marathon of the year is coming up soon! (Birmingham, 7th May)

Another video from #LetWomenSpeakGlasgow. Meet Spookie. Spookie was a little nervous about going to the event, but then surprised us all by getting up and giving a brilliant impromptu speech. Spooks also makes great feminist stickers and art, which you can buy here.

Once again, sorry about the sound on this video, there were technical issues on the day.

Because the sound is so choppy, I won’t attempt a transcript. So allow me to summarise and if Spookie wants to put a transcript in the comments, I’ll paste it up here instead. I’ve tried to use and paraphrase as many of Spookie’s words as possible, while torturing it into the third person. An editorial decision I already regret 😉

One thing very apparent in the video is the reaction of the crowd, which went wild.

Spookie is originally from America and has lived in Scotland for 20 years. What blew her away about Scotland was the equality she found there. It made her proud to be part of that community in that beautiful place. But as things have changed and we’ve all been fed the lie that men can become women, she’s sadly ashamed.

Spookie runs a small group on Twitter for disabled people (I’m a member!) The greatest fear of that group is the right to same-sex care for disabled women being removed. No woman should have to allow a man in a dress to give her intimate care.

They should have the right to say no: no I will not let that happen.

Spookie comes from a country with a strong belief in free speech that she’s lived with her whole life. The strong belief never to let anyone tell her that she can’t say no to a cock in a frock giving her intimate care. We say no, no no!

Spookie’s speech, summarised by me

Check out Spookie’s store and sticker indiscriminately!

I should add that Spooks’s speech is recorded here brilliantly and in full. I won’t give you the timestamp, watch the whole thing.

More footage from Let Women Speak in Glasgow, which I wrote about here.

This is a speech written by my friend Henrietta Freeman (@hen10freeman) and read by another friend whom I won’t name. Sorry the sound’s a bit choppy, there were technical difficulties.

I was going to write something long and furious on this issue, but let’s just let Hen’s words speak for themselves. Here’s the transcript.

I’m Henrietta Freeman and I tweet about the impact of gender ideology on disabled women and girls. I’m a complete quadriplegic with cognitive impairments including lack of short term memory and speech difficulties. I was paralysed from the neck down and had no speech. I know vulnerability. I need intimate care 24/7 and I only want a woman to do it. This is personal to me as a survivor. When a disabled women or girl who is a survivor of male violence/abuse, have intimate care, it can be a reminder of their trauma. They don’t have the luxury to step away and deal with their trauma because they still need intimate care. There is no identifying out.

In England and Wales; disabled women and girls are nearly twice as likely to be sexually assaulted and more likely to be raped, than able-bodied women. Abuse is under-reported due to communication or comprehension difficulties. Women receiving care are 3 times more likely to be victims of assault than men. Men are 4 times more likely to be the perpetrator. 1,000 allegations of sexual assault/incidents were reported to Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 3 months in 2018, including 47 rapes. It is difficult to find statistics for Scotland.

Why then do care agencies think it’s acceptable to send men to women who want same-sex care? It’s acceptable to them because the majority of care agencies have switched from ‘same-sex’ to ‘same-gender’ care policies. Many disabled women, girls and their families have no idea of these stealth changes. CQC must get out of Stonewall.

If a man, including a Trans-Identified Male, was sent to do my same-sex care, they let themselves into my house and I would be in bed. If he assaulted me I wouldn’t remember until days after, too late to get medical treatment. I can’t feel anything from my breasts down so he could touch me with me unaware. You can understand why women like me are picky over who cares for us.

Same-sex care is a safeguard against abuse of vulnerable woman and girls in society. It is about privacy, dignity and safety. Men’s feelings are irrelevant. Disabled women & girls have lost control of much of our lives due to our disabilities. The remaining control must be the choice of who touches us. If we can’t communicate this, it needs to be same-sex as standard. This also affects disabled girls in schools, disabled girls in care homes and disabled women in assisted living who need carers. There is no relative there to keep an eye on what is happening.

When I speak out I face abuse. I ignore it. This is too important of an issue to remain silent. Those who can speak out must as there are women and girls who can’t. I will never stop speaking out, there is too much at stake. Same-sex care has been destroyed in England and the situation is even more precarious now in Scotland. We must protect our disabled women and girls.

LET WOMEN SPEAK!

Henrietta Freeman

As Henrietta says, when she speaks about this, she faces abuse and mockery, some of it among the worst I’ve ever seen. For standing up for vulnerable women who need same-sex care. This is because some people, captured by incoherent, inconsistent and batshit crazy gender identity ideology think that the feelings of a few men are more important than the safety, privacy, dignity and bodily autonomy of brave but vulnerable women like Hen.

I argued with one of these men on Twitter today, which is what prompted me to make this post. He did everything he could to avoid reading Hen’s story of her 24 hours and to misrepresent my words. He didn’t want to know the inconvenient truth that women like Henrietta are being harmed in service to men’s feelings. It makes me furious.

I’ll be writing more on this subject in the future.

You can watch the whole video, featuring all the talks: (Part 1, Part 2). There are technical difficulties throughout, at some times worse than others, but bear with it if you can.

I want to let this video speak mostly for itself. This was an open mic event organised by Kelly-Jay Keen (@ThePosieParker) and Standing for Women (@StandingforXX) which took place on 5th February 2023 in Glasgow.

I was there with more than a thousand women who’d come to make their voices heard on subjects important to them. There were also protesters there (including one or two furries but you can’t have everything).

Read that again. There were protesters (mostly men, from what I could see) who wanted to stop ordinary women from speaking.

They failed. The women of Glasgow are as nails.

Alice The Journalist made this video. It captures the day perfectly.

The next events are in Dublin on 15th April and Belfast on 16th April, then in Hyde Park on 30th April. I’m hoping to be at Dublin, but, you know, wheelchairs and flights. We’ll see.

I won’t be doing the Great North Run this year, which is disappointing. Entry is through a ballot and it’s the luck of the draw. It’s a shame, because of those half marathons I did last year, I enjoyed Newcastle the most. That’s partly because it’s home ground for me, partly because of the amazing people of the North East, but also because it’s such a good course and more wheelchair-friendly than most.

The final stretch, leading down to and along the coast is beautiful and was surprisingly emotional for me. Better luck next year, I hope.

It’s a shame, but can’t be helped. The good news is that I’ll definitely be doing:

• Birmingham: 7th May

• Derby: 4th June

• Great Scottish Run: 4th October

• Manchester: 15th October

And I’ll almost certainly squeeze in another one somewhere. And/or various 10Ks

As always, you can donate here to help nia combat VAWG and provide aid to women and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence including prostitution. It’s a charity run by women for women.

Standing for Women: Let Women Speak. Newcastle. Jan 15th. 12:00 – 14:00
Travel information

Edit, change of venue:

The event will now take place at the Civic Centre, rather than the Monument. You can use the same instructions as below, but continue up Northumberland Street to Haymarket, then cross the road to this distinctive building. The walk from Monument will take about five minutes.

If you’re taking the Metro from Central Station, get off at the second stop (Haymarket) rather than the first. The Haymarket Metro station is fully accessible, with a lift.

Grey’s Monument is in Newcastle city centre at the intersection of Grey Street and Grainger Street. It’s directly adjacent to the Monument Metro station and a 10 minute walk from Newcastle Central Station.

By Metro
Board the Metro at Central station and take any northbound train. Get off at Monument, which is the first stop. All Metro stations and trains are step-free and wheelchair accessible and there are audible and visual announcements at every stop. There is lift access to Central Station Metro from the platform and to Monument station from the Eldon Square exit.

Mobility scooters are not allowed on Metro trains.

Walking from Central station
Leave the station, cross the road and head up Grainger Street, which is directly opposite. Grey’s Monument is at the top of Grainger Street. It will take about 10 minutes. You will definitely know it when you see it! The route is wheelchair accessible.

Parking
A map of Newcastle car parks and on-street parking can be found here.
There are three NCP car parks. The most convenient is the John Dobson Street car park, which is a 5 minute walk from Grey’s Monument. The Stanhope Street car park is a longer and more complicated walk (about 15 minutes) but is usually less busy.

All the NCP car parks can be booked in advance at the link above and are wheelchair accessible, with lifts to street level.

Toilet facilities

There are no longer any council-operated public toilets in Newcastle. There are toilets at Central Station and the following businesses allow non-customers to use their toilet facilities:

• Centre for Life
• City Library
• Costa Coffee (Northumberland Street)
• Discovery Museum
• Eldon Gardens Shopping Centre
• Eldon Square Shopping Centre
• Fenwick
• Grainger Market
• Great North Museum: Hancock
• John Lewis
• Laing Gallery
• McDonald’s (Northumberland Street)
• Marks and Spencer
• Newcastle Civic Centre
• The Gate

The closest to the Monument is Fenwick (a department store) but alternatives are two minutes walk away (McDonald’s, Marks and Spencer and Costa on Northumberland Street). If you need directions, ask the guy in a wheelchair (me). You can DM me at @latsot if you can’t spy me.

It’s wheelchair maintenance day today. That sounds a lot fancier than the reality, but the damn things do require more attention than I’d originally expected. Of course, mine gets a lot more hammering than most and has done a lot of miles in the couple of years I’ve had it, not always on the most gentle of ground.

But if you’re new to wheelchair use, you really do need to keep an eye on a few things. Simple stuff, for the most part. Footrests have a habit of working loose and are a huge pain to adjust while you’re out and about. I’ve noticed mine skimming bumps on the surface, from time to time, in the past. You don’t want to get stuck. It’s just an allen key job, but take the whole thing off and make sure there’s no dirt in the joints. Take care when you’re putting it back in; depending on the type, you can easily get one side stuck if it’s not nice and level as you push it in. And it’s a bugger to get back out if you can’t use your legs. A leverage issue most wheelchair users will be familiar with.

Check your spokes, too. Not all chairs can have the type that can easily come loose but one of my sets of wheels does. I think they must have been loose in one wheel when I bought it because a few months later, some of the spokes had bent, which effectively ruined the wheel. Thankfully, they were under warranty. They ain’t cheap. So just check every so often that your spokes are nice and tight. If you don’t know how to tighten them, take them to a bike shop, they should be able to sort you out.

I have the type of seat and backrest that are struts bound with velcro straps. They do tend to give way over time and need tightening. This is a huge pain for me because of the way I’ve had to strap the back up (because one of the struts broke, somehow) and because I have various other straps attached for clipping a bag to, holding a walking stick etc. So make sure that’s all nice and tight, too. The sagging kind of sneaks up on you and since you’re in the chair all day, you want it to be right.

Those are the main things. I clean and lightly grease my axles every few weeks and I remove the castors to check for dirt building up inside and to make sure they’re still tight. I also like to check the screws on the back hinge mechanism because I’m paranoid and I don’t trust it.

Most of these little jobs require nothing but a set of allen keys. I keep one of these things in my chair, which is both very useful and excellent engineering porn. It covers the vast majority of what I need.

The next job is painting the frame. I’ve had a few crashes due to hitting potholes at unwise speed and have quite a lot of scratches and gouges in the frame. It’s aluminium, so no real need to cover them up other than a cosmetic one, but I’ve bought the paint now, so I’ll probably do it in time for Christmas.

I’m generally a fairly relaxed person, but I get seriously uptight when my chair is out of commission, even if I have no plans to go anywhere. It’s a sudden, complete lack of independence. So keep up with the maintenance, if you can. It could save you a lot of stress.

I raise money for nia by doing wheelchair half marathons. I have six planned for 2023. All donations go directly to nia to support their vital work delivering services to end violence against women and girls. Thanks to the generosity of so many people out there, I raised about £3000 this year and I’ll try to beat it in 2023.

If you’d like to donate, my crowdfunder is here. Your donations are greatly appreciated by this small charity which has been doing excellent work for women and girls who are survivors of sexual and domestic violence, including prostitution, since the 70s.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about training. This is partly because I had a few weeks off after the Great North Run in September and gradually eased back into it after that. The other part is that I forgot. I’m now at full training capacity, which I’ll continue with every day barring illness, injury, prior commitment or really not wanting to.

I’ve been training indoors only because the weather is horrible, so I’ll write about that. I’ll write about outdoor training when I get a chance to do some.

Indoor training is on my rolling road, which looks like this.

It works how you’d expect; reverse up the ramps and push. There’s a sensor next to one of the rollers which measures rotations. That and a pulse monitor are linked to an app on my phone so I can monitor performance.

I do 3 hours a day on the trainer, in blocks of 1 hour. This seems like a lot, but a surprising amount of training is needed. Remember that I’m hauling along my own considerable weight plus the chair (which is only about 7-7KG) with such fundamental forces to fight as as gravity, friction and inconvenient cambers.

Last year I was aiming to increase my stamina. I’m happy now with my level of stamina and general fitness, so this year I’m working on speed. During each hour I try to maintain an average speed of around 3mph. This doesn’t sound much but my trainer is modified (heavy weights that clamp around the rollers) to simulate pushing up a moderately steep hill. Maintaining 3mph for an hour under those conditions is hard work, but I’m planning on getting it up to 3.5 by the late spring.

According to the app, that level of activity burns about 550-650 calories in an hour, depending on how much I’m going for it. I’m not entirely sure how much I can trust the app, but that seems in line with figures I’ve seen elsewhere.

So that’s my main training routine while the weather is bad. I’m training to go up hills at slightly less than walking speed!

If you’d like to donate, you can do so here. All donations go directly to nia to support their vital work delivering services to end violence against women and girls.