Garrucha, Spain - July 2008

With Paul as my personal assistant and Greer & Richard (pictured opposite in Mazarron) we went for a weekend break in order to look at some properties for sale in the area. The main town of Garrucha was pretty much off limits as with steep hills, narrow paths and uneven roads it was very difficult to manouvre a chair at all. 'Vera' was the name of the area containing the accessable beaches and promenade. We also looked at a few properties an hours drive north of Vera in the Country Club, Mazarron.

Finestrat (Nr Benidorm), Spain - July 2008

Villa La Sonrisa is located in the beautiful, peaceful terrain of Finestrat, close to the popular seaside town of Benidorm in the East of Spain. Owned by a foundation and managed by Renate and Ronnie, it offers wheelchair friendly accomodation, accessable swimming pools and accessable transport. It is a 40 minute drive from Alicanti airport and accessable transfers to the Villa had been arranged. . I booked one appartment for 6 and a my friend Donna booked another for her and 2 carers. Booking the holiday was made easy by email to their UK representative and all contact details and pictures / information on the Villa can be found at their website: la-sonrisa.com/engwelcome.htm. During the week we spent time in and around the villa and pools, shopping at the local supermarket as well as spending 3 days in Benidorm. The picture opposite shows the 9 of us by one of the many accessable beaches in Benidorm (l to r: Ivana, Sian, Daniela, Katie, Paul, me, Lucy, Jackie and Donna)

Moscow, Russia - May 2008

I couldn't miss Chelsea's first ever European Cup Final and even though the game ended in such a heart-breaking way and the city in which the match took place was so unfriendly for wheelchair users, I would not have missed the experience for the world. Add this to the fact that it was just about as far from London as Europe stretches and it cost an extortionate amount of money and you can see why I was only one of five Chelsea Wheelchair users there. For full details of some of the accessibility problems I faced see my 'Disability Now' magazine article. As this article was concerned with disability issues only, I didn't mention the fact that my fellow travellers on the bus we first got on outside Vnukovo airport read like a Chelsea who's who: Ron Harris, Ray Wilkins, Tommy Langley, Clive Walker, Gary Chivers, Trevor Aylott, David Lee, Gary Stanley, Steve Finnieston and maybe some I didn't spot. During the day I also saw Pat Nevin, John Bumstead, Peter Bonetti & Dave Beasant.

Loulé, Algarve, Portugal - May 2008

Casa Ourico do Mar is a wheelchair accessable Villa in Alto do Relógio, just outside of Loulé on the Algarve in Portugal. The Villa is built into the side of a very steep valley which gives spectacular views. You can see the planes coming in to land at Faro airport. . I must say the holiday was totally stress free for me to arrange as Simon was always available by email to answer any questions I had before we set off. We were free to use a Citroen Berlingo throughout the week which enabled us to get out and about as follows: Sunday we spent the day in Quarteira wandering along the seafront. Monday we visited the Marina at Villamoura and went on a cruise along the coast. Wednesday we went to ZooMarine in Guia and saw dolphins, aligators, sealions and all forms of other marine life. Thursday we visited the local market town of Loulé and on Friday we drove to Albufeira and had coffee and a pancake down by the sea (picture opposite shows Bart & Aga [standing] and me and Victoria.) Most of the time not mentioned was spent round the Villa and in the pool. For further information on this holiday see:http://www.ouricodomar.com/

Trondheim, Norway - Nov 2007

Trondheim is in centre of Norway, just outcide the arctic circle It is the home of Rosenborg FC and the location for Matchday 5 of Chelsea's current Champions League Campaign. Paul picked me up at 3.15 for a 6am flight. Trondheim had had a heavy snowfall a few days before we arrived and much of it was still around. ThomasCook had arranged wheelchair transport for me. The van collected us from the airport and took us to the city centre bus station. We then spent the day wandering round the city (no easy task for Paul with all the snow). The van picked us up again from the bus station and drove us for about 20 minutes to the stadium. Unfortunately the original view I had was from directly behind all the Chelsea fans and as well as not being able to see, I got crushed after both of Chelsea's first 2 goals. The stewards could then see the problems and moved me to a more suitable location. Chelsea went on to win 4-0. Our flight left Trondheim at about 12.15 (UK time) and Paul dropped me home at 5am.

Garrucha, Spain - Oct 2007

A group of 5 of us went to South Spain very early on a Thursday morning. We flew to Almeria airport and stayed an hours drive north in Hotel Tikar, Garracha. We hired an estate car during our week and the 5 of us (plus 2 wheelchairs and one walker) made the most of it by seeing many of the neighbouring villages/towns namely: Mojacar, Vera, Los Gallardos, Aguilas (see photo opposite), Carboneras & Cabo de Gata. On all but one night we ate at differant restaurants which specialised in things such as pizza, steak, chinese and fish. During the week we also visited Garrucha market, harbour and spent many hours enjoying the warm sun wandering up and down the local promenade.

Polis, Cyprus - Jun/July 2007

With Paul and a group of 8 disabled friends and carers I headed off from Gatwick for a weeks break in the extreme heat and sun of Polis in Cyprus. We met another group of 7 friends out there who had flown from Bristol. The heat made the week more challenging than in previous years but we still managed an evening stroll along the new beach footpath to Latchi, a boat trip off the coast (including my first ever swim in the sea) and a shopping trip to Pathos. When not out and about the group of us were happy to stay around the appartments, pool and local town. Pictured opposite (2nd left to right in the pool [excluding the Gatwick Crew]) are: Annie, Jackie, Lucy, Donna, Hannah, Polly, Graham & Chris. Not pictured: Linda, Debbie and Bill.

Valencia, Spain - Apr 2007

The photo opposite is of me & Paul. It was taken in one of Valencia's Main Squares. The 'Mestalla' Stadium was a 15 minute walk from the City Centre, just across the river. I say river but it was totally dry and is used only for sport and recreation. It was diverted round the city in 1957 but the walls still stand and you can clearly see where it once flowed. The Stadium is far more impresive from the inside than it looked from the outside. The are 3 towering roofless stands and one smaller with roof. The wheelchair spaces are down low but on a raised platform that gives a good view of the action.

Bremen, Germany - Nov 2006

Another early morning flight, this time to Bremen in Germany to see Chelsea's matchday 5 fixture in the Champions League. I had always envisiged Germany to be south of us here in the UK but Nrthern Germany is actually north of us - and it felt like it too! It was only 70 minutes flight from Gatwick but it was considerably colder. Thomas cook again arranged the trip and for the second time, had made no special arrangements for me as a wheelchair user. I found this dissappointing as being carried on and off the coach I find very demeaning. However, Harry & I managed to pass the day in various food outlets and even wander round the Christmasy (mid November!!) streets of Bremen where the picture on the left was taken. The facilities for wheelchairs at the ground were good. We were placed in a corner of the ground on a raised area at the front. Chelsea lost 1-0 but qualified for the group stages.

Sophia, Bulgaria - Sept 2006

Two 3 hour flights from Gatwick to Bulgaria and back for Chelsea's matchday 2 Champions League fixture against Levski Sophia. A change in Chelsea's chosen travel operator meant a first trip arranged by Thomas Cook Sport. After being dropped outside the Alexander Nevski Cathedral (See picture of me and Paul opposite) we spent 7 hours looking round the City. Sophia is not the place to visit unless you have a fit, strong and experienced PA. All the paths were uneven, full of pot holes and damaged. There were no ramps from road to curb and many of the paths and roads were cobbled. Paul did a fantastic job without complaint but I dont think either of us would have enjoyed more than a day. During the day we wandered down the Vitosha Bl. to the National Palace of Culture. Chelsea won 3-1 (Drogba hat-trick).

Cologne, Germany - June 2006

With my friend and carer Paul I had arranged this stay in Cologne to co-incide with the FIFA World Cup. I booked the hotel, hire car and flights on-line and got tickets for 3 games directly from FIFA. We saw games in Cologne and Gelsengirchen on the Sunday and Monday and the England game in Nuremberg on the Thursday. On our non matchdays we visited Cologne on Tuesday ( picture opposite is of me and Paul on the Deutzer Bridge over the Rhein river with the Medieval Dom Cathedral towers in the background), Bonn on Wednesday and then Aarchen on Friday. We stayed in the Best-Western hotel on Kalker Hauptstr which is in the Kalk region of the city. This was the only hotel with advertised disabled facilities that I found. It was about a 15 minute drive to the centre of the city but this took us an average of about 40 minutes due to the fact that on no occasion did we do the journey without taking a wrong turn somewhere.

Polis, Cyprus - May 2006

I arranged for a group of 6 to fly to Pathos in Cyprus where we transfered to Polis to enjoy a week in the sun. We flew from Gatwick and arranged to meet another 6 friends and carers out there. We stayed at the same complex as we had stayed in some 8 months earlier ( owned and run by Christo Neophytou [a fellow Ataxian]). During our week we went on a boat trip from Latchi [Polis's neighbouring Village] to Fontana Amarosa, toured round the mountainous regions [including a stop at a forrest cafe], went paraseiling in Pathos and enjoyed several evening meals and drinks in Polis. The picture opposite shows our group and hosts on the balcony of our appartment block. Pictured are [back row l to r] Darren, Graham, Polly, Eva, Chris, Andreas, Me, Katie [front row l to r] Lucy, Donna, Naomi, Andrea, Annie, Jenny, Bart. .

Brussels, Belgium - Nov 2005

Completely arranged by Chelsea Travel and this time assisted by Paul I boarded the Eurostar at Waterloo and travelled by track, the 2 and a half hours accross to Brussels. A car was waiting for us when we arrived at the station and took us to the Tulip Inn Hotel in the centre of the City. On the Tuesday and the Wednesday we spent the days touring round the City [the picture opposite taken in 'Grand Place', perhaps the prettiest square I have seen in the world. We had 2 meals in the Brussels Grill which was directly next to our hotel. The Stade Constant Vanden Stockstadion was relatively small and we viewed the match from behind a thick wall of glass in the bottom corner. Chelsea won 2-0 with early goals from Crespo and Carvalho.

Seville, Spain - Nov 2005

Arranged by Chelsea Travel and abley assisted by Harry I flew to Seville to watch Chelsea take on Real Betis in the Champions League. We were dropped in the historic centre of Seville and wandered through the cobbled streets of the Old Quarters. We made our way along the banks of the River Guadalquivir using the Juan Carlos I promenade and had our photo taken [opposite] in front of the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes which stands in a square close to the Cathedral of Seville (the 3rd biggest temple in the Catholic world). The view we had at the Stadium was fantastic but the game itself was less so as Chelsea lost their 4th consecutive away European match that I had been to. I got back to the airport in time to see the players arrive and spoke to John Terry, Frank Lampard and Damien Duff.

Polis, Cyprus - Sept 2005

In a group of 9 friends and carers I went to a small Village close to Pathos in southern Cyprus called Polis. The complex at which we stayed is owned and run by Christo Neophytou (a fellow Ataxian). During our week we went on a boat trip to Fontana Amarosa [where the braver amongst us dipped in the sea], visited Latchi for an evening meal, toured round the mountainous regions visiting a Monestry and a trout farm, went paraseiling in Pathos and enjoyed several evening meals and drinks in Polis. The picture opposite shows our group aboard the Alkion Glass Bottomed Boat Standing (l to r): Sian, Tiffany, Lucy, Graham, Polly & Naomi - sitting (l to r): Chris, Donna and me. Not pictured: Liz

Munich, Germany - Apr 2005

Having conquered Barcelona 5-4 on aggregate Chelsea were drawn against Munich in the quarter-finals. 2 second half goals by Frank Lampard saw Chelsea with a 4-2 lead to take to the Olympic Stadium. Me and Perry had the luxury of a wheelchair accessable Red Cross van for our tour of Munich during the day. The van driver (Leo) was with us all day and got us to the ground well in time for kick off. Unlike the club coaches we did not have a police escort back to the airport after the game so were an hour later than everyone else. 15 minutes from van into airoplane seat has to be some sort of record though! The whole day was enjoyable including the Wienerschnitzel and chips in a restaurant in the centre of the city. The highlight of the day was meeting Kerry Dixon before the game and the lowlight was the view we had of the match. 'Twas a long way to go to see the back of a dugout! Chelsea won 6-5 on aggregate.

Barcelona, Spain - Feb 2005

Barcelona was the destination for Chelsea's first round first leg match in the Champions league. The Nou Camp was one venue I had always wanted to attend. I was unable to see Chelsea's match there in 2000 so I was particularly keen to go this time. We were directly behind a goal but our view of the match was disappointing as the tier above obstructed our view of the stadium. For the first time Paul also had no designated seat. Barcelona itself however was lovely. On our second day (matchday) the sun shone and we toured much of the City. Barcelona was very friendly for wheelchairs with even, smooth pathways and ramps wherever roads needed crossing. The picture opposite was taken outside the Gaudi Cathedral which has been under construction since 1883 (inset: a better view of the Cathedral). We also went on the cable car from its starting point by the beach.

Porto, Portugal - Dec 2004

With Paul & Chelsea Village Travel I travelled to Porto to see Chelsea's matchday 6 Champions League match at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto. It was another early morning flight from Gatwick (8 am flight meaning out of my bed at 4). We spent the day by the River Douro in Porto. In the warm afternoon sun we took a boat trip along the river but as the evening approached we were pleased to get back into our warm chaffeur driven car to go to the stadium and keep the chill out. To the right you can see me and Paul early in the day having crossed the main traffic Bridge over the river. We spent the afternoon mingling with the other Chelsea fans by the river. Chelsea lost the match 2-1 but this was largely irrelevant as we had already won the group.

Paris, France - Sept 2004

Chelsea Village Travel arranged a trip to Paris to see Chelsea's matchday 1 Champions League match at the Parc des Princes Stadium against Paris Saint-Germain. To avoid an 18 hour coach journey, I chose to travel for the first time on a corporate trip. Me and Paul travelled by train to Waterloo where we met up with the corporate party. We then took the Eurostar train to Guarde de Norde and had our own minibus (with driver) which took us to the Concorde Saint-Lazare hotel in the Notre Damme district. We spent the day taking in the scenes of Paris (Eiffle Tower [see pic opposite], Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees etc). A police escort hurried us through the busy rush-hour traffic in perfect time to see a comfortable 3-0 Chelsea victory.

Carvoeiro, Algarve, Portugal - June 2004

With Paul, Perry and James (the 4 of us pictured opposite outside the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon), we stayed in a town called Carvoeiro on Portugal's Algarve during the first week of Euro 2004. I managed to get tickets for England's opening 2 matches (against France in Lisbon on Sunday 13th and Switzerland in Coimbra on Thursday 17th). As well as attending these matches we spent a day in Lagos, visited the nearby 'Splash & Slide' and spent much time watching the other Euro 2004 matches either in our Villa or in a bar in the town with a large TV screen. I booked the Villa using the Accessible Travel Website. Villa da Felicidade was perfectly accessible for my wheelchair as well as having some home comforts such as Sky TV.

Monaco, France - April 2004

For the first time in Chelsea's 99 year history, the Club reached the semi-final of Europe's Elite Club competition. Perry and myself flew with Chelsea Village Travel to Nice and then transferred by coach to Monaco. We spent the day there seeing all the sights on a gloriously warm, sunny day. We saw Roman Abramovich's Yacht (le Grande Bleu) in Monte Carlo bay and bought souvenirs and ice creams from the numerous stands overlooking the harbour. We were inside the stadium 2 hours before kick-off but had a disappointing view of a disappointing match.

Paul and I spent one day in Rome, visiting The Coliseum (right) and St Peters Square in the Vatican City before going to watch Chelsea's greatest ever European performance. The venue for the match was the Olympic Stadium. Chelsea won 4-0 with goals from Crespo, Gudjohnsen, Duff & Lampard. The one day trip was arranged by Chelsea Village Travel. A 7 am flight out meant a 3am start for me on the day and I finally got home at 5am the following day. But it was well worth it.

Grado, Italy - April 2003 

At Christmas I began planning a holiday in Italy with four friends; Greer (who also has FA) and three others to provide care for us both: Paul, Liz and Carol. On 12th April we all set off for Grado in the North-East of Italy. Grado is known as the Isola del Sole (Island of the sun) it is Italy's oldest resort. We stayed in the Rialto hotel which is located 30 minutes drive in a South-Westerly direction from Trieste airport. 90 minutes (on the Autostrade) to the West is the beautiful City of Venice and approximately an equal distance away but to the East is the Italian border with Slovenia. To the left you can see the 5 of us in Venice.

My finances could only stretch as far as Scotland this year so again with Liz I decided to go for a short stay north of the border. We flew out early from Heathrow to Glasgow on Thursday 30th August. On our first day we visited Ibrox before driving up the M80 to a small town called Castlecary. On the Friday we decided to take the train from Falkirk to Edinburgh where we spent an entertaining day browsing the shops and visiting Edinburghs' famous castle. Saturday we shopped in the local town and then watched a film and had a Pizza in Falkirk before returning to our hotel to watch England thrash Germany 5-1 on TV. Sunday again we visited Glasgow. Celtic Park was our destination this time and we were lucky enough to get a place on the official tour of the ground. The picture on the right was taken on this tour in the trophy room.

Toulouse, France - Dec 2000 / Jan 2001

Immediately after Christmas 2000 I with my friend and carer Liz to the South of France. We stayed in a small hotel in a Town called Ouch which is about an hours drive from Toulouse. On our second day there we took a drive (a hire car) to Lourdes. Lourdes is a picturesque Town beneath the Pyrenees mountains by the Spanish border. It is famous for its' spiritual healing powers. To the left you can see me and Liz at the top of the town. We spent New Years Eve in an old Town called Fleurance where we saw the new year in with Liz's friend Marie and her sisters family.

I flew to Stockholm (Sweden) with my Uncle and cousins as well as approximately 15,000 other Chelsea supporters to watch the European Cup Winners Cup Final. I left home at 4 am on a Wednesday and returned at 10 am on a Thursday. I had had little sleep but it didn't matter as Chelsea beat Stuttgart 1-0. The picture to the right is of me, my cousin Stuart (right) who was good enough to push me round Stockholm all day, and Stuarts' friend.

I went with Surrey Phab to Paris on a coach holiday. We went up the Eiffle Tower, saw all the shops on the Champs Elyses and floated down the River Sein on a boat. We also visited Eurodisney for 2 days but this was a dissapointment as the authorities banned us from most rides as we were deemed a fire risk. I do not have a photo from this holiday.

Amsterdam, Holland - November 95

The Friedreich's Ataxia Group belongs to a body called 'EuroAtaxia'. I was asked to attend this years AGM which was in a small village just outside Amsterdam in Holland. I went with my friend John and when not in the meeting we went for a quick tour round Amsterdams famous red light district. Again, I have no picture from this 3 day tour.

To the left you can see me sat in the gardens of a restaurant in the middle of Gothemberg. My dad had driven my car over from England (helped in no small way by a ferry). This meant that I had the freedom of the roads in this City. This was my first holiday with my own wheelchair (A Meteor). I acquired it the day before we left. It took me about 22 hours less than my dad to get there!

Copenhagen, Denmark - February 1993 

Unfortunately I have no picture to accompany this holiday. The European Top 12 Table Tennis Championships was my reason for visiting this beautiful City. One of the four days of the tournament was a rest day so we took the opportunity of driving on down to the coast to see the famous 'mermaid' on its rock. This holiday was the first in which I used a wheelchair. As I did not have one of my own, I hired one from a shop in Aldershot and used that instead (and yes, it did have a squeaky wheel!)

I drove my Peugeot 205 for 10 hours see the European Table Tennis Championships. On the rest day from the sporting action I drove down to the border with Switzerland although I did not actually cross it. To the left I am pictured with my mum by a roadside overlooking the city of Stuttgart. I look comfortable standing but was very unstable on my feet at that time. I was totally dependent on my dad for my mobility.