Holiday challenge: good places for people with learning disabilities

Having a holiday can be a challenge for people with learning disabilities. Jayne Beckett, 43, regularly visits Blackpool

When I come to the Bond Hotel they make me feel proud to have a disability. They understand me and it’s lovely to be with other disabled people. I like coming to Blackpool. I don’t really want to go anywhere else.

Bond has all the best facilities. The bedrooms are made for disabled people. If a hotel doesn’t have the best facilities then they don’t care. All the people here are like friends. They have entertainment, bingos and raffles although I don’t like bingo much.

You can eat at the Bond Hotel but I went to the carvery restaurant for dinner instead. The food was nice. My favourite was the pork. Then I went to the Hot Ice skating show. It was good, especially when they danced with the chairs on the ice. The staff at the show were kind and I felt on top of the world. I bought a programme and had my photograph taken with one of the dancers. Her costume was lovely, all glitter.

Last time I came to Bond it was my birthday. They kept it all quiet and I thought they’d forgotten. Then Marlon Dingle from Emmerdale gave me my cake! I’ve also met Les Battersby from Coronation Street here, so there’s lots of famous people.

My first holiday was in Skegness with my parents. We stayed in an ordinary hotel, walked around the shops and saw the sea life centre. I’ve also been to Great Yarmouth and I did stay in another hotel in Blackpool, but it wasn’t for disabled people. People were a bit sharp. It upset me.

When I was 16, I went to Spain with my school. It was very hot and I found it frightening being in a different country. I lay around the pool all day. The Spanish food was nice, but I’m not a beach person.

If there aren’t enough places for disabled people to visit on holiday then people should complain. They should go to the top. It is important to have holidays where people are kind.

This article appeared in the 13 September issue, under the headline “Blackpool highlights”