LIVEHOUSE

I went to see Mumford and Sons and had a wonderful night, but the access was very poor. Disabled access ticket holders were advised to come at 9:05pm, and were not let in until 9:35pm- so were left standing outside in a queue. When let in, it was only a few minutes before everyone else. Once you enter through the main into the venue door, there is a lift to the left, this takes you up one floor- it is absolutely tiny and only fit me in my wheelchair in. My wheel turned and got stuck in the large space as I was coming out and the door kept trying to close on me, causing my carer and two gig-goers to intervene. When you get to the main floor, you go through large doors which were open, and into the main concert area. There were hardly any staff, but I asked a woman named Ingrid where the disabled bathroom was- she was new and said she didn't know but would find out, and directed me where to go for the gig. The disabled toilet is on the left of these doors in the main area and is not signposted, the area to get in is very tight and there's no space for a power chair to turn. The door did not lock, there was no seat on the toilet, and no toilet paper. As there was no seat, there was no point in me entering this toilet as it was not safe to use. Ingrid asked the manager to get a handyman to fix the toilet, however I said I could not wait. She accompanied me to the ladies toilets upstairs. The lift was so small I barely fit in, despite my wheelchair being one of the most slim power chairs an adult can get. However it was longer, so others could also fit in. Ingrid was incredibly helpful here, and I would not have managed without her. She held two doors open for me to get into the ladies toilets, while directing other gig-goers. The toilet was tiny, and did not lock, but she kept it closed once I was in. There was no space for me to turn so I just drove in and stopped alongside the toilet, this meant I could not use the handrail, and there was also not room to step off my chair. I had to take parts of my chair off, while dropping things on the floor, and injured my shoulder in the process. Without this wonderful member of staff though- I would have had to leave, as my carer was male and this could have caused issues using this bathroom. There appeared to be only one other member of staff when I came out into the upstairs area, and lots of people were about, so I wasn't directed to an access area and I couldn't see the stage due to the rail. Ingrid came over and said there's an access area, and she brought me and my carer over and moved seats so I could get in. From this area, I had a great view, and as it was sectioned off, it meant we weren't surrounded by people standing. Ingrid brought over bottled water and let us know it can get quite hot. She checked on us half way through, and at the end came over and kindly gave me a set list and offered assistance. The initial issues with the toilet were stressful, but without compassionate help from Ingrid, I would not have been able to stay never mind have such a good night enjoying the awesome music. I would recommend a new toilet separate to the two I saw be put in place as the current options are just not accessible; the spaces are far too small and the spaces were not safe or well designed- they seem extremely outdated, there didn't even appear to be a safety cord. More signage is needed, a better system for the disabled queue which offers gig-goers with walking aids to rest. I would recommend a bigger lift, and more staff, and someone give Ingrid a promotion and a raise!