MOBILITY ROADSHOW 2011

- NEWS UPDATE

Not long to go now until this year's Mobility Roadshow at the East of England Showground, Peterborough, and as always we have a fantastic line-up of exhibitors and events for our visitors.Come and meet Derek Derenalagi, one of the British soldiers who provided inspiration for the birth of the charity Help for Heroes – who officially opens the show on 30th June. Plus on Saturday 2nd July – National Young Disabled Persons’ Day – we welcome local celebrities David Proud and Julie Fernandez.

Full details are on the Mobility Roadshow website at http://www.mobilityroadshow.co.uk/ where you can also find out the latest news from exhibitors to help you plan your visit. As well as an outstanding showcase of mobility products and services, advice and information from over 150 exhibitors, the Roadshow offers a fantastic array of activities, experiences and ideas for an active lifestyle. Check out these options while visiting the show:

• See new concepts and products being shown in the UK for the first time.




• Test drive a range of adapted and specialist vehicles. NEW FOR 2011: dedicated WAVs test drive zone




• Meet expert conversion and adaptation specialists who can advise on your particular needs




• Try out scooters, wheelchairs & trikes for safety & comfort




• Go off-road with all-terrain wheelchairs and buggies




• Enjoy the Cyclefest - handcycles, trikes and companion cycling for everyone




• Try your hand at archery, laser clays, 4x4 experience, adapted go-karts, giant-scale Scalextric or Nintendo Wii




• Participate in a variety of sports, dance and fitness activities in the Sports Arena




• See how far you can go on the accessible climbing wall




• Encourage the children to take part in the ‘Go Kids Go’ wheelchair skills training sessions

Plus some exciting new features for the show:

• Mobility Information Service (MIS ) – providing a central hub of mobility advice and information, plus ‘Meet the Expert’ sessions on a range of topics

• Design Zone – an open forum where visitors, designers and innovators can exchange views on the design of products for the mobility market, plus gain expert advice: come and have YOUR say

• Launch of our Photography Competition in partnership with the Disabled Photographers’ SocietyAnd as always, it’s a free event!

Click here to register for your free tickets.

We look forward to welcoming you to the show. JACQUI JONESExecutive Director, Mobility Choice Crowthorne Office: 0845 241 0390

MOBILITY ROADSHOW 2011: 30th June, 1st & 2nd July , East of England Showground, Peterborough

Mobility Choice (Registered in England & Wales) Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 3GA (Company No. 3501190 Registered Charity No. 1068018)Mobility Roadshow Ltd (Registered in England & Wales) Crowthorne House, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 3GA (Company No.3596221 VAT No. GB-733458819) A wholly owned subsidiary of Mobility Choice. Tel 0845 241 0390 Fax 0845 241 2136 email choice@gtnet.gov.uk website http://inventivenet.co.uk/link.php?M=140829&N=360&L=13&F=H

A Right Royal Affair

Its time to enjoy a bit of Bank Holiday fun. Since I have no news from the Forum this month, I've posted an event that some of you attended.

Our son Dan had his 17th birthday party on Sunday. As this was the week-end of the Royal Wedding the theme just had to be "A Right Royal Garden Party". We spent ages preparing props and costumes while Nick and Gabby made the invitations, but all the same, there was an awful lot to do at the last minute.

Having sprayed all the garden furniture gold and decorated the house and garden with flags and pictures, we all thought Sunday morning would be pretty easy: No pressure. The bouncy castle would arrive at 9 am and then Hanna planned a cooking session to make fairy cakes and that sort of thing, so we would have an easy run-up to the party which was to begin at 13.00 hours, precisely. All that I had to do was put copies of "The Tatler", "The Field" and "Horse and Hound" in the downstairs loo (Royal Privy, Royal Flush or Royal Wee?)

The huge bouncy castle duly arrived but it wouldn't fit in our garden, so the men took it away again! Now our plans lay torn to shreds at our feet. Hanna started phoning around for alternatives while we thought about what to do instead. Boules? (Lethal if you get one in the head). Croquet? (Have you seen what a croquet mallet can do?) Archery?? Perhaps not.

In desperation Hanna phoned the guys back and pleaded with them. They agreed to return in 30 minutes if we removed our rockery first. I have a bad back so my job was to manage Dan while Nick, Gabby and Hanna armed themselves with implements and plant pots and leveled the site, just in time.While all this was going on Dan was frantically signing to me. His sign was stroking his cheek which means "Pretty Lady".

Almost immediately, three very pretty girls on bicycles appeared at the door. They were Sophie, Kathryn and Holly and they were the answer to Dan's prayers and mine. I set them to work moving plants and laundry; the reward was to be a bounce on the castle.The rest of the guests arrived as expected between 1 and 2 pm. Dan mugged them all for presents on the way in, but didn't actually join in the party until he was sure they were all here and that he had extracted all the goodies. After that we settled down for a lovely party in the garden for the rest of the afternoon.

If you are still with me at this point you may be asking, "What happened to the Royal Garden Party theme"? Needless to say, based on past experience, we were all wondering what to expect from our neighbours, The Lambtons. They generally raise the bar when it comes to dressing up so we spent a lot of hours trying to guess what they would do: Security Men? Royal Family? Politicians? In the past it's been Star Wars, Super Heroes and Pirates.

This time it turned out to be "Nuns and Vicars" (Typical!) At least it wasn't "Vicars and Tarts" again. Actually they were supposed to be "Nuns and Bishops" but they were all out of bishops' frocks and Nigel had to come as a cardinal. (If you thought he was the nun, you obviously spent too long at sea!) If you are really current with the news you will know that nuns are HOT! There's a big debate about one of the nuns caught on video at the royal wedding who looked pretty fit and was wearing Reeboks. 'Word is that she is a "Ninja Nun" and head of security at Westminster Abbey, or possibly the head of MI6.

So how did we combat the Lambton challenge? Hanna out-trumped everyone by coming as HM Elizabeth II and I headed up the overseas VIP list as a Middle Eastern Ambassador, complete with sinister shades and a red fez which I sewed myself. I also sell rude post cards if you are interested.

We were so pleased to see so many people turn out for the party. The youngsters were a delight and they were so well behaved that Hanna and I managed to chat to all the grown ups. All of the presents were appropriate for Dan and so, thanks to Hanna, was the food; lovely cakes, jellies and ice-creams, all made without sugar.

Nick and Gabby did a fantastic job of decorating the house and acting as kitchen staff and waiters throughout. I think we might do it again next year.

I have enjoyed looking through our photos. A lot of them were taken on the iPod using a retro-style camera application.

You can see all of my pictures by clicking HERE and the Lambtons' pictures by clicking HERE.