TiMeTravel
Auckland Castle was once the private palace of the Bishops of Durham, dubbed the “Kings of the North”, who governed the north of England for more than 750 years.
In 2012, the 900-year-old castle underwent a multi-million pound restoration. And it now features soundscapes and animations which bring its history to life.
Visitors can also eat in the Long Dining Room, look through the private apartments and diaries, and visit the 150-acre medieval deer park. aucklandproject.org
VL
Airports can be stressful places, but for passengers with reduced mobility the challenges can be immense and very off-putting.
These customers can be left humiliated, deprived of their dignity and in some cases even hurt, according to an investigation.
Inconsistency of assistance provided, accessibility staff not doing their jobs properly and poor communication between airlines, airports and service providers are highlighted in the report for consumer group Which?
By law, all UK airports must provide free support to any disabled passenger who needs it and, legally, people with restricted mobility should have the same opportunities for air travel as anyone.
But 46 per cent of reduced mobility passengers felt unable to travel by air because of their disability in the past two years, says the Which? study by the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers.
Even experienced travellers have had traumatic airport experiences.
In one case, a regular passenger who uses a wheelchair had his foot caught and bent back as he was being lifted into his plane seat, resulting in pulled tendons in his ankle.
Researchers also found that of respondents who had used special assistance at an airport, 25 per cent said they were dissatisfied.
One passenger found a wheelchair waiting for him upon arrival, but no staff to push it. His wife did it herself,
Airports must provide free support after being told the route to the plane was flat. But she lost control of the chair on the slope of the air bridge and it crashed at the bottom, leaving her husband dazed.
Although many receive excellent assistance, Which? says more needs to be done to ensure better communication with special assistance staff, as well as extra training.
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