Around the town in 80 spins - my view of Swindon from a wheelchair

My name is Ben, I’m 17 and I have a neuromuscular disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. I am a year 12 A-level student and I roll around in an electric wheelchair.

If you’re in a wheelchair and want to get out of the house a bit more but you’re worried about the accessibility around Swindon, then this article may be able to assist you in your expedition into the great outdoors.

First thing’s first, if you want to go out and explore the town then you are going to want to be certain that you are not going to get stuck in a pothole or other similar ditches. The majority of Swindon is fairly smooth if you travel on the pavement. However, if I was you I would avoid Old town. For some reason, there seems to be a higher number of potholes, bumps and curbs in that area compared to the rest of the town and the surrounding area. Although there are many pubs and shops in that area that you may want to visit, there are plenty of other alternatives that you should consider before attempting to visit some of these less equipped locations.

Two locations that are definitely unsuitable for wheelchair users are the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery on Bath Road and the majority of Victoria Road in general. The museum on Bath Road has steps throughout the building meaning that for those who cannot get out of their wheelchair, they would not be able to see the fascinating artefacts and the paintings on show. Similarly, Victoria Road is not to the best place to go if you want to explore. This is because unless you have an electric wheelchair or incredible upper body strength, you are going to struggle with the steep hill. But in all honesty if you do you have an electric wheelchair or an increased amount of upper body strength you are still going to struggle due to the sheer gradient of the incline.

Now that I have had my rant, I should probably tell you how great Swindon is compared to other locations. Towns and cities such as London and Bristol are the worst for lumps and bumps which is surprising really considering that London is the capital city of this great country. Although that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t go and visit these places as they are still great locations to see.

Anyway, the rest Swindon is more or less accessible for wheelchair users. Locations such as the bowling alley and laser quest in West Swindon are fully accessible with ramps and wider doorframes. These are some of the locations that you definitely need to visit if you are going to roam around the town. The Link Centre is brilliant if you want to have a bit of fun in your wheelchair. The ice rink has a ramp that can be put out for disabled individuals so that you can take your wheelchair onto the ice. Although remember to take care when doing this as you ideally don’t want to end up falling out of your wheelchair onto the cold ice.

So if you are looking for something to do over the summer, explore the town. Try out all of Swindon’s different cinemas as they are all accessible. Although bumpy, Lydiard Park is also a really good place to go as there so many wide open spaces for you to manoeuver your

wheelchair and even do the odd doughnut or two if you feel like it but obviously only if you know what you’re doing.

So have fun exploring the great and accessible town of Swindon.