Overview

Had a fantastic day at Meadowbank Sports Centre when we went for a junior roller derby bootcamp for 40 skaters and their families. This review mostly covers accessibility for Hall 1 – the 40m x 35m large sports hall. The venue has loads of other features – I hope someone else can review these soon. Meadowbank opened to the public after a full rebuild in 2022 – and it feels like it! Flat surfaces, lifts that work, spacious and easy access throughout. Air con to keep people happy! It was a great experience made better by the friendly team who were welcoming and helpful. The café near the entrance is well stocked and the coffee is good. I believe some groups of senior citizens use it to meet during the week too. Level stair-free surfaces and bright spacious areas to sit at tables and catch up with friends. What’s really nice is the views from the windows out to Arthurs Seat and the Crags in one direction, and across to the Firth of Forth in the other. It really is a bright, fresh, airy building – loads of space to manoeuvre about in.

Transport & Parking

Please see photos for the bus stop outside of the venue – access from the bus stop to the front doors of Meadowbank is flat and not far to wheel to. Parking can be difficult on a busy day - the car park is small compared to the size of the venue – especially if there is a Hibs game on as Easter Road stadium is not far away and parking in the local area becomes a challenge. 9 or so blue badge parking spots outside of main entrance (see photos) – these don’t have electric charge points, but there are a lot of (non-disabled) spaces with charge points in the car park. Hopefully Edinburgh Council has plans to install charge points for electric vehicles in the accessible bays too - as disabled people are also making the switch to ev cars and WAVs. A good area for locking up bicycles too.

Access

This is a new sports centre and you can tell it has been designed with disabled access in mind. Level stair-free entrances. Double lifts take you to any floor. Accessible loos on every floor. If you’re a spectator, you can access wheelchair spaces in the spectator seating area (see photos) – it should accommodate about four wheelchair users in that space.

Toilets

The accessible loos are clearly marked (see photos) and some have transfer space to the right and others to the left. Emergency pull cords hanging to the floor. Low sinks and mirrors. Good grab rails. Doors open outwards. Very clean! The changing areas are also big and spacious (I only popped my head in to have a quick look). There are plenty of lockers at different heights for people to use.

Staff

The staff couldn’t have been more cheery or helpful. I was one of the organisers for this event in Hall 1. The staff made it an enjoyable experience for us all and accommodated all of our requests. They even popped back to see how we were getting on and watch the juniors play roller derby!

Photos