The Coalition’s trip to Downing Street

On Monday 20^th February members and staff from Surrey Coalition of Disabled people travelled to Downing Street to hand in a petition signed by more than 150 organisations. All members of the group travelled into London independently by train, a freedom which could soon be denied to them if the proposed changes come in to force. Arriving at Downing Street the group were determined to put their point across and there was instant camaraderie with other organisations present especially with the National Federation for the Blind, the organisers of the petition. We drew attention from passers by with our placards which had slogans including ‘I have a Right to travel By train Safely’, ‘Keep ticket offices Open’ and ‘We Will Not Be Ignored’. Jean was approached by a photography student who wanted to take a photo of her holding her placard for her A Level project. 

Finally, our time slot arrived, and we entered Downing Street which was a surreal experience for us all. We were really hoping for a glimpse of Larry the cat, but sadly he was nowhere to be seen! We encountered our first obstacle, a very steep dropped kerb which was not particularly safe and quite frightening for Vikki to navigate in her powered chair. We approached the famous door and were given some last-minute instructions on protocol etc. 

We gave Jonathan the task of announcing our presence with three very loud knocks on the door. We handed in our covering letter and explained that we were supporting the petition to request:

1: For all ticket offices to remain open and all manned stations to remain manned at all times with safe level of staffing
2: For all trains to have guards (also known as train managers or conductors) at all times
3: For all unmanned stations to become manned at all times with safe level of staffing

The team from The Coalition made it clear that it is totally unacceptable that Disabled people face having their freedom to travel by train independently taken away from them. A freedom which most people take for granted. The Coalition asked that the Prime Minister reconsider the proposals as a matter of urgency.

After our big moment we all took it in turn to have our photos taken in front of one of the most famous doors in the world. Jonathan, Vikki and Jean were then interviewed by ITV south and BBC Surrey. 

We then made our way home, exhausted but also exhilarated by the opportunity to make ourselves heard. This is not the end though, we will continue to campaign for Disabled people in Surrey and around the country to maintain their freedom to travel. As the placard said ‘We will not be ignored’!