On a nice sunny afternoon my wheelchair user wife liked nothing better than to watch Durham County Cricket Club. Why was she so fond of this? Well the Durham ground, now called the Emirates Riverside, is very accessible.
OK, Durham does have an advantage, it is by far the youngest county ground in the country. Back in the 1990’s I was invited to take part in the planning to ensure it had good access for disabled people. Much to my shame I thought, ‘oh, just another sporting club which is going to do the minimum to stay within the law.’ I was busy on other projects and turned the invitation down. I was wrong. They meant it.
So what is so good about Durham’s ground in Chester-le-Street? Adequate disabled parking just outside the ground, although they do charge, reasonably flat push to the turnstiles and nice level access within the ground. For members, there’s a lift to the lounge. As you come through the turnstile you will see the pavilion including the shop and a (very good) restaurant in front of you. All are accessible and you will find RADAR key accessible toilets at strategic spots in the members lounge, and the restaurant. There is also another below the County Stand near the press box. All are a useful size able to take both your wheelchair and carer to assist if necessary. (One of my regrets for not having taken up their advisory post is that there are no public adult changing rooms I’m afraid.)
To their credit they do have a very handy commentary loop system which helps fans with visual impairments enormously.
If you are going to visit the ground, either as a member (cheaper if the wheelchair user is the member as that gives free access to your carer), or as a visitor, then you’ll want to know where to sit? Well, the member’s lounge is only available to members or members of visiting clubs.
The platforms for wheelchair spectators have been positioned above the seating but they do not include seating for carers. This area also has a problem: a north easterly breeze with absolutely no shelter. Instead of bringing a rug, if you turn right on entering the ground you will discover the press box and the new County Stand. At the bottom of this stand there are plentiful spaces left between the lowest seats. The spaces come in pairs with a seat next to each for a carer. Since you now have the whole of the stand between you and that pesky breeze, there’s no problem. Howzat!?
