Alton Towers vows to make accessibility changes after disabled woman was taken off rideBecky Cheetham
Alton Towers has confirmed that a woman with cerebral palsy is to be involved in the resort’s updated disability training after she was left in tears over treatment by staff.
Hannah Cheetham – who requires the use of a wheelchair – was “embarrassed” and distraught after a visit to Alton Towers with her sister Becky last week, where she was publicly removed from one of the resort’s rides and was left “angry and fed up due to the ignorance of staff”.
Despite being in her thirties, Hannah was only allowed to ride children’s rides.
During the trip on 28th September, Hannah – who visits the park annually as an “adrenaline junkie”, and has previously gone on every ride she wished – obtained a disability access band and then headed for the Smiler, but her sister Becky spotted a sign by the rollercoaster which said that users must be able to walk 25 metres unaided.
She mentioned it to a member of staff.
Becky said: “The lady then turned to her co-worker and shouted across, ‘She can’t walk’, and shut the door behind us. My issues with this situation is Hannah is a human. Please speak to her directly. Do not embarrass her by shouting out her insecurities across the ride for a crowd of people to hear.
“We passed three lots of workers, and not one of them thought to explain the rules of the ride before we got up there and had to turn around.”
Then they headed to Rita – where Becky lifted Hannah into a seat and workers strapped her in – but just as the ride was about to start, a member of staff asked if Hannah could walk unaided in case the ride broke down and she was told to get off the ride in front of everyone else.
They were later offered a refund after spending £40 per ticket.
Dear Alton Towers,Yesterday (the 28th September 2020) I spent my Birthday at your theme park. On your website, it…
A petition started by the pair online – who are both from Greater Manchester – now has close to 50,000 signatures.
The petition calls for: “All public facing staff should therefore undergo disability awareness training to prevent the distress we experienced yesterday and to enable all people, including wheelchair users, to have the same wonderful experience and fun day out.
“If disability awareness training already exists, this needs to be significantly improved.”
Now, Alton Towers has issued a public apology and has invited Hannah and Becky to contribute to improving staff disability training going forward.
Katie McBirnie – Head of Product Excellence at Alton Towers – said: “We are deeply sorry for this incident, which falls well below the high expectations we have for our employees. At Alton Towers Resort, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive resort and we really value the feedback that Hannah and Becky have given us.
“We have certainly listened and we want to do better.”
Alton Towers
A spokesperson for the park added: “We have invited Hannah and Becky back to discuss the changes we can make, and we look forward to showing them how committed we are to making sure that their experience is not repeated.”
In response to the invitation – which has been accepted by the pair – Becky Cheetham said: “We feel excited about the prospect of changing attractions for the better [and] we hope to help public facing roles improve their disability training and give disabled people a better experience.”
Becky also said that she had been told her YouTube video about the ordeal would form part of staff training.
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Nearly a quarter of Brits are making cups of tea ‘all wrong’, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
A new survey has found that a staggering 127 million cups of tea are drunk in Britain each year, but apparently, a quarter of us are making them ‘all wrong’.
Nothing is arguably more British than a brew, right?
Whether you take it builder’s, milky, with sugar or sweetener, decaf, green, or even herbal, popping the kettle on and making a brew can be a sacred daily ritual for us tea-loving Brits, with everyone having their own personal tastes and preferences on how to make it the perfect cup.
But what is the correct way to make a cup of tea? Now that’s up for debate, but after finding out that nearly three quarters (72%) of Brits drink an average of four cups a day, Aldi has commissioned some new research to try and get to the bottom of it once and for all, and has polled the nation to discover what really does make the perfect cuppa.
Apparently, 78% of the population is so passionate about a good brew that they have to give exact instructions to someone if they offer to make them a cup.
A new survey has revealed that nearly a quarter of Brits are making cups of tea ‘all wrong’ / Credit: PickPik
English Breakfast tea was found to be the go-to choice of tea, with 67% of survey respondents calling it their favourite, but there does appear to be a bit of discrepancy when it comes to how to make it though – as 78% say they like to add the water first before letting the bag stew for two minutes to achieve the ultimate ‘toffee brown’ shade.
Almost half (49%) agreed that a splash of semi-skimmed milk should then be added to help bring the temperature down, and two in five (38%) prefer no sugar in their liquid gold… but that’s where the similarities seem to end.
According to Aldi’s research, almost a quarter (22%) of people are making their tea ‘wrong’ by putting the milk in first.
“It’s clear that tea remains a very important part of our lives, with the average Brit consuming a staggering 1,460 cups a year,” commented etiquette consultant, Jo Bryant.
“I’m with the majority, as I love a cup of English Breakfast tea, freshly-brewed for around two minutes, with a moderate amount of milk, and it’s always tea first, milk last – it is good manners when making someone else a cup of tea to check how they like it.
“Most people simply ask about milk and sugar, but it is better tea-making etiquette to also enquire about strength and any other preferences.
“Try to take the time to make perfect brews for friends, colleagues and family, and make sure you remember just how they like it for next time.”
Featured Image – Flickr
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Levi’s are the latest fashion brand to launch an Oasis collection
Danny Jones
In case you missed it amid the tidal wave of merch currently flooding our feeds and shops everywhere, global fashion brand Levi’s has become the latest label to launch an Oasis collection.
With the Live ’25 world tour now officially underway, it feels like not only are Oasis back on top, but that there’s a large-scale Britpop revival happening here in the UK and overseas.
In terms of fashion, the 1990s and early 2000s style has been steadily making its way into contemporary culture once again in recent years, but with seemingly every big name trying to hop on the marketing machine that is the Oasis reunion bandwagon, you can’t move for crossover.
Be they official collaborations like the one with Manchester City, adidas Originals; American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch bashing out merch, or a local t-shirt maker on Bury Market, that famous logo is absolutely everywhere – cue Levi’s latest launch:
Releasing just five or five main pieces (not including individual item variations), Levi’s Oasis gear has been kept pretty straightforward, simply relying on a less is more philosophy and the quality that the denim specialists are renowned for.
Nevertheless, there is an undeniably 90s feel to the approach.
As well as the standard Oasis band tee design, available in the brand’s main red, white and blue colour, as well as black, white and light blue – the Manchester City influences never stray too far, after all – there are a couple of other types of tee.
However, while we’re sure plenty of people might have a penchant for the parka, the undeniable star of the show for us is the Type II Trucker Jacket with the group’s name and ‘Live Forever’ stitched on the breast pocket.
Still, at £170, these sure-to-be collectors’ items don’t come cheap, and that’s not even the most expensive in the Levi’s x Oasis collection. Regardless, if you fancy treating yourself, you can find them here in Manchester and at the likes of The Trafford Centre.
Any of it pique your interest?
Don’t worry if not because, as mentioned, there is absolutely tonnes of Oasis clobber at various different price points all over the place at the minute.
Emily Sergeant -
7th October 2020 
