The Deep

I'm not a wheelchair user but i've multiple sclerosis and my legs are affected, so not only am i'm determined to use them before I loose them, i'm also quite conscious about taking up resources that others may need more (i.e. waiting for a lift and making the queue longer for those with no other options), so upon entry I committed to the stairs to get to the viewing deck, this is not a commitment i'd have made had there been a sign anywhere to inform us that the viewing deck was 3 stories high. I didn't want to make the same mistake again on the scenic lift vs stairs so I waited for the lift, it would have been nice to have had benches to wait for the lift, I do better walking than standing still for long periods of time but ironically the seats were the other side of the barrier before the stairs and being an adult alone with a young child i was unable to sit without losing our place in the queue for the lift. In general, there weren-t many places to sit and take a break. Over all it seems well equipped for wheelchair users, but not so well equipped for those who struggle with mobility but are not in a chair.

The Deep has a substantial car park, and is about 20 minutes from the Interchange. Inside the venue is completely step-free, with multiple large lifts available. Most counters and all exhibits are at an accessible height. Some of the ramps are a little steep in places, but as long as you have brakes you shouldn't have an issue. Multiple accessible toilets, and a changing place, are available. All lifts now pale in comparison to the "bubble" lift which goes up through the shark tank, and where else will a shark have the chance to see a wheelchair fly past as they swim?

I was in a group of 10. There was 3 carers and 7 elderly people 4 of whom have dementia and needed constant supervision. We had 3 in wheelchairs and the rest were walking...the actual exhibition was amazing and everyone in our group was absolutely mesmerised and thoroughly enjoyed watching all the sealife, nobody fell asleep or asked to go home, they just had an amazing day out. However, when we first arrived at The Deep we had just had a 2 hour journey which is a very long journey for our clients whose ages ranged from 80- 96 and all everyone wanted when we got there was a cup of tea! We found the café and so nobody was separated we pushed 2 tables together so we could all sit round them together. We also had with us a bag of snacks as one of the people we were caring for was a diabetic... I put the bag on a table while I was arranging the wheelchairs and were just sitting down when a member of staff came over to us and said " you can't eat a picnic in here" we said we weren't having a picnic and was just going to have a cup of tea and then they said " and you can't put tables together either" ...this caused some difficulty for us trying to arrange our clients around 3 separate tables. One carer went to fetch the drinks for everyone which left 2 carers looking after 7 residents who were all spread out across separate tables and all had varying needs. There was no negotiation and the staff concerned insisted we had separate tables or we would have to leave. This was not helpful or supportive and I felt put a real dampener in the visit. It was very busy and I know staff would be under pressure, but so were we as carers trying to give our clients a nice day out. Overall it was a brilliant day out but the attitude of the staff was really disappointing and they didn't meet the needs of our group.