A recent article in The Cricketer claimed that Durham Cricket Club was presiding over 'giant strides... made' and 'first-rate facilities' for supporters with disabilities at the Riverside.

With such an effort being made by a major north-eastern sporting institution, it seemed a good idea to go along, take in a game and give the place the once-over.

We chose the recent Norwich Union League game between the Durham Dynamos and Leicester Foxes. I had my two lads, each with a friend, to help me if needed, but the pre-match publicity promised them entertainment at the Kidzone if they felt the urge to wander. Kidzone offers, among other activities, bouncy castles, face-painting and cricket coaching. Plenty to occupy kids who may struggle to sit absorbed in the finer points of cricket for six hours.

The lads had been trying to get their heads around the fact that I was going to a cricket match to write for a newspaper but, quite possibly, was not going to mention the game at all. "I'm going to write about how I get in; how I get around the ground and how helpful the people are," I explained.

"I'd definitely mention that then - you can't tell where the disabled parking is and that's bad', cause you might end up having to go miles in your wheelchair," says one. Leaving the A1M, we had followed the brown Riverside signs until these gave way to more local ones saying: Cricket Ground/Sports Pavilion. However, none specifically directed us to disabled parking. We found ourselves at Gate 1 being approached by a steward. He explained that we were not allowed into the ground in the car since we were not members but he pointed to parking nearby that was 'council' and had a few spaces remaining. In truth, we parked easily and did not have far to go but we were surprised that there had not been more provision for day visitors.

A decision was made to aim for the front row of the South Terrace because of its proximity to a disabled toilet we had seen on the way in and its handiness for Kidzone. I had parked my wheelchair at the top of the terracing and reached the front row using my walking sticks only to discover later that there was a ramp I could have used. There were no signs or directions to indicate this and, anyway, the route was partially blocked by a Sky cameraman. Trying to communicate with a man who is wearing headphones whilst shooting vital pictures for satellite TV is not the easiest thing in the world to do.

What I needed was inside information. I was, therefore, delighted for the opportunity to meet John Severs who is Durham's Disabled Members' Liaison Officer. John took me on a guided tour during which he introduced me to such things as the induction loop system for the hard of hearing; the recently widened wheelchair bays that have room for a friend to sit alongside; seven disabled toilets; the special external lifts to wheelchair platforms in the main stand; the low serving areas and special tables in the Members' Lounge and - last, but by no means least - the ball by ball commentary service for the visually impaired. John was quite clearly proud of the club's achievements but it did not stop there. Plans for the future demonstrated that this was a club that was not content to rest on its laurels. John is happy to invite groups for guided tours and to offer a day's free trial to non-members of the commentary service. He is justifiably confident that the club is capable of providing the type of support and welcome that will encourage more people with disabilities to visit regularly.

The whole set-up is designed to encourage folk to join and there are, already, 80 disabled members with their own active Disabled Forum attended by the club chairman. It is through fully-fledged membership that the whole range of impressive facilities is opened up. The fee for disabled members is £65, with an additional charge for car-parking inside the ground within sight of your seat - well worth the cost to anyone with mobility problems. Add to that the fact that a carer can accompany you free of charge with a Carer's Pass and you have the complete package.

First-rate facilities indeed. John Severs and staff at Durham have undoubtedly made giant strides, which totally overshadow the minor blips we experienced on entry and deserve to be widely circulated. A few extra directional signs would make an already excellent service even better.

Published: 06/08/2002