Non-Pool
Topic: Disability Access

Rileys Pool Hall in Cannock has sponsored the Cannock Chase Pool League, but does not have disabled access. A member of our Wednesday pool team loves playing pool, but is in a wheelchair and is unable to attend many games as Rileys have acquired a number of teams as other pubs have been forced to close down. I have pasted the email I have sent to them concerning this matter.

If anyone has any information that may help this cause please post it here, if not please join my facebook group - FORCE RILEYS (CANNOCK) TO PROVIDE DISABLED ACCESS

Your support is appreciated.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have recently received a text message from yourselves advertising free membership with your organization for any of the pool players in my team.

Firstly I am not sure that I gave your organization permission to contact me in this manner, I would you like to inform me how you obtained my details, this is a requirement of the Data Protection Act. I believe you have obtained my details from the Cannock Chase Pool League as you are their sponsors and they have permission to contact me regarding League matters as I am the captain of the Sunday Div 1 team (Blowers A). So far as I am aware this does not extend to the use of my number by your organization to send me advertisements, as attractive as they may be! Please remove my number from your advertising database as I do not wish to receive any further advertisements.

Of course as you have made me aware of the offer, which I had already been informed about, I have made it my business to pass on the message to both the players that play in my Sunday night team and the Wednesday night team (Blowers) that I also play for. Which brings me neatly to a problem that has existed for some time now. One of our players (Peter Wyke) is disabled and as such cannot easily, if at all, access your venue, this means that he is unable to play in many of the matches in the league. Your premises is the home venue for many teams in our league, and our player is being denied his right to play in said matches. This situation was brought to the attention of the League Committee at the AGM by Mr Warren Brown (Proprietor of Blowers), and was swiftly dismissed as “not our problem” by them, stating that it was Rileys responsibility. Whilst their response to this situation was hardly helpful, it would appear that they are correct. So here’s the quandary, you have openly advertised that ANY pool player can get free membership, and having spoken to Mr Wyke he has intimated to me he would like to take you up on that offer, so if you could explain to me how he is to gain access to your premises in order to get his free membership, he’s in a wheelchair by the way, then I will gladly drive him to your premises myself. I suspect however this is not an option due to the lack of disabled access, which means that your offer of free membership to ANY pool player is not true and actually a discriminatory offer. What you should have sent out on your text is FREE membership to any able bodied pool player, but then that wouldn’t look very good in the Express & Star would it?

I would hope that Rileys is an equal opportunity employer, and if you had a disabled employee you would have to make ‘reasonable adjustment’ to accommodate them. Mr Wyke is not an employee, and despite your offer it appears you don’t really want his or any other disabled persons’ membership either.

I look forward to your reply.

Regards

Who'd want to run a business in this day and age! Poor old Riley's getting flack again!

Pool ace you've got to be kidding mate. Real disabled access should be an absolute requirement for any business / venue etc. I totally and utterly agree that Rileys should not be exempted from this expectation. I think they might actually be in contravention of building regulation.

In 'this day and age' that shouldn't even be a matter of question.

Would they be trading if they were? Maybe it's just not practical in this instance.
I think peoples expectations of businesses are too high. There seems to be an assumption that they have a bottomless pit of money.

On 2009-11-27 16:30 , Pool-Ace Wrote:

Absolutely pool-ace, my local Rileys have been busy putting in new English pool tables, a 6 board darts lounge, 3 large plasma TV's, a new large screen projector, new sound system, brand new side tables, sofas and chairs and repainting everywhere so it looked nice for Phil Taylors visit... of course there is no money left to make other clubs come up to the legal building regulations.

I must give it Rileys they do know how to get their priorities right


-----------------

Andy Warden, GB9 - Authorised Pro9 forum advertiser/sponsor √

as a wheelchair player myself and a manager in the civil service, i know that under the disability discrimination act,businesses have to make reasonable adjustments, they cannot be force to put in disabled access in all premises as they would need disabled loos etc. that only applies to newly built premises and others undergoing major refurb/rework

part of the reasonable adjustment is the overall cost against the number of people concerned, so the best course of action if you do not get anywhere with riles to to complain to the local council and then the equal rights commission.

this is a problem with all access, there is a 'greggs' near my office with a step to it that i cant access in my chair, as those who know me know i'm parshal to te oddpasty or doughnut !!

I asked coud they put a step in when they were refurbing it as a greggs (it was a bank) and they could not put a ramp in as it was a listed building.

On our buses they have ramps but manually operated and most drivers make you pull the ramp out yourselves, and then once on the bus they are unhappy that that have to get off their bum and pull it back in.

Next time you are out count who many kerbs have a ramp o your walk to the pub, if 9 out of 10 do, that is not enough for a wheelchair user to get to the pub, although daleks can now ascend stairs, wheelchairs can't jump up steps, although if you have seen frankie gillen and gary swift on town in blackpool you might disagree !!

Hi Shady

I would be interested to hear Riley's response to your letter and I can total understand Peter's frustration. I am also interested to know what is required to make the club accessible i.e. lift, ramp etc.

I hope people don’t get to critical of Riley’s because I feel they are supportive towards disabled players as they sponsor the British Wheelchair PoolPlayers Assoc. tour of which Peter would be more than welcome to join. (visit www.bwppa.org)

However we are approaching the year 2010 and it still seems a little behind the times when the biggest billiard company in the UK are unable to provide adequate facilities for disabled members in all of their clubs.

My club in Birmingham is very accessible although the only snooker table on the ground floor has been taken out, so I can’t play snooker there anymore. Lucky for me my main game is 9Ball.

I guess this post was not to totally defend Riley’s but for people to understand that they do support their disabled members, but obviously, based on this thread there is still some work to be done.

Regards

Roy Kimberley
(Sec. British Wheelchair PoolPlayers Assoc.)

At kings Cross pool club has been refurbished right from the scatch, even knocked the wall down & after about 5 months once it all done. I went there forthnight ago just have a look before I join the membership (everyone must be a member in that club), there is about 5 inches step at the main door that I needed two poeple to help me to get in & open door at the same time. there was english 8-ball tables on the ground floor, then there toilet that I can't use, coz the wall curl round & any wheelchair cannot get through it. (wheelchair don't bend like bendy-buses.) There are bar, snooker tables & 9-ball tables upper lever floor which is 5 or 6 steps up.

From my flat to get one bus to Kings Cross pool club is only take 45mins the most.


-----------------
C'MON...!

I think Riley's and wheelchair access is a work in progress and they have made a real effort in some clubs. Solihull, Wavertree, Stafford and Barnsley are a few clubs that have had a lot of work done to make them wheelchair friendly.

There are also a large number of clubs with natural wheelchair access like my own club in Darlington where no adaptions are needed, although Darlington does not have a wheelchair toilet.

I understand that with 130ish clubs you can't change things all at once and as clubs are being renovated , access where possible is being added.

It would be unfair to say Riley's are all bad but I think they do need to show what clubs have wheelchair access on their website as serious wheelchair player will travel play.

I'm sorry that I am unable to comment on the club in question as I have never been there but I would think Riley's HQ would help where possible.

I am the Chairperson of the British Wheelchair Pool Players Association and I would be willing to help Riley's in developing services for disablesd players if they so desired.

I know the BWPPA would not be able offer Europes largest wheelchair pool tour without the support of Riley's clubs.


-----------------
www.themole.me

As I said to Phil earlier, the Rileys in Doncaster is downstairs so I spent years playing 9-ball in a bowling alley on tables where all the balls rolled into the same corner with spilt drinks on them. Then i discovered Rileys Barnsley, and it was a blessing in disguise because it's 1 of thew best clubs in the country, the only downside is it's 45 minutes away from where I live and I have to rely on lifts at the minute.

I would like to see how many Rileys don't have wheelchair access and also I believe it should say in there club finder on their website which clubs are/are not accessible. I find it astonishing that they can pay Ronnie O'Sullivan a six figure sum top be a "consultant" and also pay Phil Taylor however much they pay him to open clubs and darts zones. With that money they could install lifts, ramps etc wherever possible, or improve club facilities such as maintenance on snooker and pool tables


-----------------
Matt Lester
www.matthew-lester.com

i agree that we mustn't be too quick to loose rileys off, they do a lot of wheelie pool, and support me a lot and wavertree which is my club has good access
they are a buisness without a bottomless pit, reformed after going bust, give them time, lots of places are inaccesible as i said above, but its getting better
wont be 100% in my lifetime though and im only 40 !!

Thankyou for all your comments, let me just say that I appreciate the financial constraints of a business, and I do not expect them to completely overhaul their premises for one player, especially given that the pool hall is on the first floor. The email I have posted is not the full letter I have now posted to head office and the cannock branch. The main bug bear here is that despite repeated requests, mine being the third, Rileys are not prepared to enter a dialogue about this situation. Even if it is not practical to build access to the venue, is it not reasonable to allow Pete's frame to be played at a nearby neutral venue. They sponsor the league competition and should at the VERY LEAST be prepared to organised a work around for him. Anyone who defends rileys on just blanking the situation is an idiot, if we cannot get access because of legal bullshit, lets at leat find an option for any disabled played.

Anyone on facebook wanting to support the cause please join my group - FORCE RILEYS (CANNOCK) TO PROVIDE DISABLED ACCESS

Cheers

Shady

On 2009-11-27 22:43 , shadyshotton Wrote: I don't see why they couldn't move the match to an accessible venue if both players agree


-----------------
Matt Lester
www.matthew-lester.com