A day in the life of a Welcome Host volunteer

For people with disabilities, the day does not start at 11:00 when you leave the staff room. For me, my start is many weeks in advance. With assistance, I need to complete my top 10 Checklist:

1. Check planned Engineering Works on Public Transport
2. Check on best routes from Norfolk to Norwich
3. Check on Disabled Car Parking Access
4. Purchase Tickets and request Wheelchair Assistance
5. Research Accessible Hotels and Prices
6. Pre book restaurants for eating out, and ensure they can accommodate a wheelchair
7. Work out the logistics of getting from the London Terminus Station to the Hotel and to the Museum, in a wheelchair. This includes researching bus and underground options, which stations have wheelchair access, how much walking for my dad/ carer is involved, and the time this will all take
8. Ensuring my ruck sack of essential items is packed correctly. This includes emergency contact information, money, medication, change of clothes, radar key, rail tickets, disabled railcard, oyster card, small first aid kit, hand sanitizer, face coverings, allen key set for wheelchair repairs, sun tan cream, hat, rain mac, water, – I have to be prepared for anything and everything
9. Knowing where Accessible Toilets are on my travels
10. MOST IMPORTANT – Having a Plan B and double check everything!

One of the things I love most about London is that everyone is so helpful and welcoming. The public will always help if I ask, and many come up to me just to say hello.

On a recent trip to London, my dad drove to Newbury Park where we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. I leave the hotel at 08:45 for a short stroll to Newbury Park Underground station which has wheelchair access. I then take the Central line to Tottenham Court Road, taking around half an hour. This is one of the closest stations with wheelchair access to London Transport Museum. By the time I reach my destination, it is around 10:15. The Holiday Inn to the Museum is only a distance of some 14 miles, yet I have been out of bed for around 3.5 hours at this point.

I am warmly greeted by the Museum staff when I arrive, and make my way to the staff room where I meet my ‘volunteer buddy’ for the day. Most recently, my buddy has been either Bill or Brian, both of whom are very supportive and helpful. They make me laugh and we have a great friendship.

At 10:45, we are given our rota for the day which takes place from 10:00 to 16:00. I have 3 positions at the Museum. At the front desk, I welcome everyone to the Museum, offer assistance with their tickets, and give the children a ‘stamper trail’ leaflet. I may be at the ‘buggy park’ giving people advice on where to store the pushchairs. I may also be at the exit where I say goodbye to everyone, and ask if they had a nice time.

All the visitors are very friendly and will often go out of their way to come and chat to me. My fondest memory is when I was hugged by a group of French students! They came up to me and said hello, and I replied “bonjour”. They were so impressed that I spoke French (little did they know it is the only French word I know!).

As my confidence has grown, my ‘buddies’ often leave me to work on my own. I have never done this before, but feel so grown up and independent when given such opportunities. It is such a wonderful environment to work in, and all the staff are so supportive and friendly; I feel a valued part of the team and am treated in the same way as everyone else.

At 16:00 I return to the staff room and am met by my dad where he believes I should be rewarded for my hard day’s work. Now, I only tend to drink water or blackcurrant, but my dad has a passion for London Pride, somewhat coincidentally also a favourite with my buddies Brian and Bill! The Wellington Pub nearby also has an outside seating area which is where we generally head.

At this point, rush hour is upon us, and the Central line does not become a good option to return to the hotel. My destination is now Waterloo, where dad and I take the Jubilee line to Stratford, and rejoin the Central line for Newbury Park. This is more inconvenient as it involves two journeys, though we stop in Stratford for a bite to eat.

By the time I arrive back at the hotel it is near to 21:00, and one hour later, I am washed and ready for bed at 22:00. It is a very long and tiring day, but very well worth it, and most enjoyable. Actually, I shouldn’t really complain as my dad does all the hard work; and I just sit in my chair all day – I guess therefore he does deserve that pint of London Pride!

If you would like to learn more about me, have a look at my blog Being Tom. 

If you are interested in volunteering at the Museum, keep an eye on the Opportunities page.