Yesterday was a bit of a mixed day: in large part it was woefully disappointing, but also had some good points. Continuing our season of watching Japanese films, John and I intended to go and watch The Boy And The Hare. The only place it was screening was at The Odeon in Covent Garden, which, we assumed, wouldn’t be a problem as getting into central London is now easier than ever thanks to the Elisabeth Line.

I headed up there early, meeting J as we had planned in Soho Square Garden at around half past five. From there we walked to the cinema, looking forward to seeing a bit of Japanese animation. It was then, however, that our plans took a nose dive: we found four or five large steps up to the entrance to the cinema. There was no way I would be able to get my powerchair in, and I certainly didn’t want to leave it out in the street while I watched the film. John went in to ask if there was a ramp or something I could use, but it turned out that only one of the cinema’s screens was accessible, and that wasn’t screening the film we wanted to watch.

We were both very taken aback. London has made so much progress towards accessibility in the last two decades or so; I now feel I can go anywhere, without much problem. When it comes to places like cinemas, I simply assume I can just roll in. To find my entrance blocked so severely was incredibly shocking; I felt very disappointed indeed. It was bewildering.

There wasn’t much we could do. We just walked on into Covent Garden, exploring a bit of the market, at that point winding down for the night. The fact that I could wheel around the market perfectly easily made what had just happened even more exasperating. I suppose, though, that the cinema is in a building from the 1920s I’d guess, and is probably listed, so may well be exempt from accessibility laws. All the same, you would think that, in this day and age, in the centre of a modern, global metropolis, wheelchair users like myself would be able to go anywhere we like.

After a short walk around the area and a bite to eat, we came home. It was fascinating to see how pleasant and pedestrianised that area of central London now is: entire streets, previously choked by traffic, are now paved arcades which Londoners leisurely saunter up and down. Yet as I sat in the city’s wonderful new tube line as it carried me swiftly and smoothly back home, I couldn’t help but reflect that London clearly still has work to do before it is as welcoming as I’d assumed it was.