Overview

The Fusion Building in the Talbot Campus at Bournemouth University is very accessible modern building with step free access, accessible toilets and a Changing Places toilet. I am not a student at the university, these are my observation when I visited the Fusion Building to attended the Golden Age of Crime (Fiction) Conference.

Transport & Parking

The Fusion Building is located on the Talbot Campus which is a 10 minute drive from Bournemouth City Centre. I took taxis both mornings of the conference and they dropped me outside the building. On my evening journey I took the bus, which stops about a 5 minute walk from the building. There are a couple of bus stops serving different routes and there were regular buses back into Bournemouth town centre and the railway and coach station (which are adjacent to each other).

Access

The campus is on level ground so easy to navigate. The Fusion Building has step free access throughout. There are push button doors at the entrance which leads into a huge, open plan, central atrium with a restaurant on the ground floor. The rooms are located around this. There are glass lifts. The rooms used by the conference were all step free. The fire alarm went off while I was there and both disabled people at the conference were taken to the refuge point, where there was an evac chair.

Toilets

There is a Changing Places toilet on the ground floor. It is clearly signposted and is opened by a radar key. The room is spacious with hoist, changing bench, grab rails, emergency cord reaching to the ground, screen, toilet, shower and large sink. There are also accessible toilets, clean, spacious and with plenty of grab rails. Our conference was on the 1st and 2nd floors and there 2 accessible toilets per floor, at opposite ends.

Staff

Exceptional. There were the conference organisers and people from the university. We were made very welcome, the 2 days had been well planned. When I arrived as a clinically vulnerable person I had a wobble about going into the conference. One of the organisers, Jamie Berthal, went into he conference and asked delegates if they would put their face masks on as someone clinically vulnerable was attending the conference, and everyone except those exempt did. This was so appreciated, as I am feeling very anxious about the lack of covid protective measures, and it enabled me to relax and enjoy the conference. Someone from the university went and got a box of face masks. On the first morning the fire alarm went off. University staff were available and took both disabled delegates to the refuge point, kept us fully informed, offered us seating and they waited with us until it was confirmed that the building was safe. This was done in a calm, supportive, knowledgeable way, many venues could learn from this example. At the end of the day, 2 Bournemouth University volunteers worked out which was the best bus for me to get back to my hotel on, showed me were the bus stop was and waited until I had boarded my bus.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Everything was brilliant. It felt very inclusive and welcoming. Lunch and refreshments were provided and the university catering was fabulous, both in choice and quality of food provided. Thank you to everyone involved.

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