I need to start off by saying that this review is well overdue. Like two months overdue. However, better late than never, right? So without further ado let’s get into my review of the wheelchair access at Mitchell Library in Glasgow where I attended the incredible Saba Douglas Hamilton – ‘A Life With Elephants’ show.
Saba’s Wild Life
Saba Douglas-Hamilton is a famous elephant conservationist and TV presenter. You will have most likely watched her on the BBC series This Wild Life, Big Cat Diaries and more. I used to absolutely love watching the Big Cat Diaries years ago. Recently I stumbled across This Wild Life and instantly got hooked watching it. Every day after work, while my Mum did my daily stretches, we would watch This Wild Life.
It followed Saba, her husband and three young daughters as they moved to the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya to run a safari camp, Elephant Watch. The show captures their lives and the many elephant families living in the Samburu National Reserve. Saba’s father founded the charity, Save The Elephants and now her husband is the CEO. Each epsidoe shows Saba’s husband and the staff at Save The Elephants working incredibly hard to protect these amazing animals.
We enjoyed watching the series so much that I began looking online for more information on the charity. I was happy to see Saba was doing a UK tour. It’s crazy because I booked the tickets on Friday and the show was on the following Tuesday.
Accessibility At Mitchell Library
We went along to the Mitchell Library not sure what to expect. In terms of accessibility at Mitchell Library, I had no problems accessing the building as the entrance was step-free. We were able to get parked right outside the entrance in a parking bay.
Once inside we were directed to collect our tickets at the merch and information table. There was a range of photographs, books and information on Save The Elephants charity.
Just before the show was about to begin we made our way into the theatre room. Everyone entered via stairs at the back of the room. We were guided to the entrance on the ground level, which brought us in through the side of the theatre room at the front row.
There was no wheelchair space as such in the theatre room, so I just parked myself in the front row beside Allan. I was able to angle my wheelchair so I wasn’t straining my neck as there was no one else in the front row with us.
A Life With Elephants
Then Saba walked onstage and with the lights off, she began to introduce herself and her life while a video played showing footage from her travels and life in Africa. They are doing such amazing work for the protection of elephants and conservation. It really was a brilliant night and we thoroughly enjoyed listening to Saba’s ‘A Life With Elephants’ talk. We would love to go to more talks like that, so we are going to look out for similar shows. Its a nice break from going to music gigs.
It was incredibly interesting to listen to Saba talk about her life and work in Africa and elephant conservation. It was so engaging that we found ourselves sitting the entire time fascinated by her stories. Her stories were funny, heartbreaking, inspirational and at times a little scary too.
At the end of the show, while heading out, we spotted the accessible toilet which was really close to where we were sitting through the side door. I didn’t personally use the toilet, but it looked to be on the small side. While heading out through the side door, we actually met Saba. She held the door open for me and smiled. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to chat as she was in a rush because the building had a curfew and the show had run over time. It would have been great to chat with her though.
All in all, it was a brilliant night. It was an interesting talk and I’m happy we were part of it. We all need to be doing our bit for the environment and animals.
Mitchell Library Glasgow
Mitchell Library is an iconic landmark in Glasgow. There are five floors within the building consisting of impressive collections, a cafe bar and there is even an online shop. We thought the cafe bar looked nice, so we are going to go some time for something to eat.
For more details:
Saba Douglas-Hamilton – www.aardvarksafaris.co.uk
Save The Elephants – www.savetheelephants.org
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SWG3 Glasgow Disabled Access & Wheelchair Accessibility Review | Maggie Rogers
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