A disabled teenager said he felt ‘absolutely humiliated’ after he was refused entry to a Wetherspoons with his assistance dog. 19 year old River Cartledge, who has autism, fibromyalgia and arthritis – takes his assistance dog Chico most places with him.
Video footage below from Instagram shows him pleading with security guards and the manager of The Five Swans in Newcastle to let him inside the pub with his harnessed up Shih Tzu on Saturday night.
River said: “Their issue was the fact he was an assistance dog, and not a guide dog.
“I quoted the Equality Act 2010, and the guide for all businesses, both of which any business that’s open to the public like any Wetherspoons is, have to abide by legally, regardless of any “policy” they may have in place,” he added.
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits service providers, including taxis and restaurants, from discriminating against those who need an assistance dog with them. It also requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers.
River claimed he had a ‘severe meltdown and panic attack’ after the interaction. ‘I have never had an experience like this and it caused me to have a medical episode.’
Chico has belonged to River for eight years and was trained as an assistance dog two years ago. River said: “Assistance dog handlers such as myself get denied in public places more often than it’s talked about, and it always makes us feel like this, and like we’re the ones causing problems for ourselves by needing a dog, when in reality it’s the ableism and ignorance of other people, not the disabled person.”
He also added “‘I was straight up told that they only allowed seeing eye dogs and they didn’t allow assistance dogs, because of their “policy”.
According to Guide Dogs UK ‘75% of all assistance dog owners surveyed [in 2015] said they had been refused access to a service at some point because they had an assistance dog with them’.
Five Swans: sign saying they allow assistance dogs *face palm*
Wetherspoons’ policy states: “We do allow registered assistance dogs.
“In these circumstances, and to avoid any confusion or unnecessary upset, ensure that your dog is wearing its recognisable leash/collar or harness.
“It would also be helpful if you could bring along suitable documentation to explain your dog’s purpose.”
River said he had ID from Assistance Dogs UK, a certification body, with him but was unable to show it at the time. Chico was however wearing a harness.
Following the complaint to the pub chain, Wetherspoon’s spokesperson Eddie Gershon said: “It was an error not to let them in with the assistance dog.
“It was a genuine error and we apologise wholeheartedly.
“We can understand the fact they would have been upset and frustrated by the situation.
“Assistance dogs are allowed into Wetherspoon pubs and we will reiterate this to staff at the pub and the company’s pubs in general.
“They are more than welcome to visit the pub with the dog.”
Good dog Chico. Check out River and Chico’s adventures here!
Mardi Gras No. 58 have made the ‘Doner Delish’ a permanent addition to their toastie menu.
This mouth-watering meal has been unveiled by a food stall at Tynemouth Market, where it “went down a storm” with customers on its debut weekend at the end of last month. So much so, the husband and wife duo Nicki Thompson and Dean Thompson, have made it a permanent addition to their Tynemouth Market food stall.
The couple set up their Mardi Gras No.58 food stall at the popular market in October last year, specialising in sourdough toasties “with a twist”.
The stall strives to serve up “quirky and modern” toasties like the customer favourite Popeye Pesto, a toastie filled with pesto-coated chicken, spinach and cheese. Or for those who like a kick, there’s also the Buffalo Badboy, made of spicy beef mince with jalapenos and fresh chillies.
Mardi Gras has already taken inspiration from other popular takeaway dishes, with their Pizza Pepperoni toastie sandwiching pizza toppings between two sourdough slices.
Packed with doner meat, crispy red onion, gooey melted cheese, and finished off with garlic and chilli sauce, Nicki and Dean urged people via their Facebook page: “Don’t knock it until you try it!”.
The couple have hinted at toastie fans to “watch this space” for more indulgent inventions from Mardi Gras No. 58 coming soon!
What takeaway delight would you like to see in toastie form next? We’d love to try a take on the Teesside parmo!
Would you try the ‘Doner Delish’?
Newcastle International has been named the UK and Irish airport of the year at the so called “toughest to win” travel awards.
The airport scooped the top spot at the Travel Industry Awards 2022, after being voted for by leaders across the tourism industry. The panel of judges were impressed by Newcastle Airport due to its ” strong new routes across a range of airlines and its impressive six-minute security average”.
They also noted its carbon measurement reduction strategy, with the airport aiming to become a net zero carbon airport by 2035, significantly earlier than many other European airport targets. The awards, which are put on by the Travel Trade Gazette, aim to recognise overall performance, support for trade partners, contribution to a fairer travel industry and smarter products.
Now in their second year, the Travel Industry Awards are considered some of the toughest in the industry due to a “robust” system of judging, and hundreds of entries for each spot. Newcastle was one of several entrants for UK and Irish Airport of the year, and was shortlisted alongside Birmingham Airport, George Best Belfast City Airport and London Stansted.
Nick Jones, Chief Executive at Newcastle International Airport, said: ” This achievement is a testament to the work and dedication of employees and business partners across the Airport who have come together to create positive passenger experiences,” adding: “It is a great achievement for everyone at the Airport who has contributed to the award-winning service we deliver.”
Greggs has teamed up with Just Eat to offer customers free sausage rolls in time for the Queen’s big Jubilee weekend. Between tomorrow (June 2) and Sunday (June 5) anyone ordering a Greggs – which is based in Newcastle from Just Eat will receive a free sausage roll or vegan sausage roll, when they spend £10 or more on food or drink!
Better still, sausage roll fans will be pleased to know that the big Jubilee weekend also happens to coincide with National Sausage Roll Day on Sunday, making it the perfect excuse to bag yourself one!
“A national icon with the power to unite Britons up and down the country, the humble pastry is set to claim a starring roll in the Queen’s big weekend,” Greggs said in a statement.
Separately, JustEat is offering a 20 per cent discount on all orders from restaurtants with the word “royal” in their name. To claim this, use the code “ROYAL20” at checkout.
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