Man with disabilities forced to travel 23 miles to access swimming pool

A man with disabilities from Ayrshire has been forced to travel more than 20 miles into Glasgow just to access a swimming pool.

The water is one of the few places where Jamie Rigg, who has cerebral palsy, can leave his wheelchair. It also allows him to hug his girlfriend Kainat, who too has disabilities.

Rigg requires two hoists to leave the chair and get into the water, but the one in the changing room at his local pool in the Garnock Valley has been broken for months.

Other pools throughout Ayrshire and Renfrewshire either lack a suitable hoist or have one that is needing repairs, leaving Rigg having to travel to one in the Gorbals.

Jane Robson, who has helped care for Rigg since 2021, said access to a pool is a huge positive for the 28-year-old, but the lack of access is now damaging both his physical and mental health.

She added that it has been incredibly frustrating trying numerous pools and finding Rigg could not access them.

"It's abysmal that people with disabilities are being ignored and not getting help to use public leisure facilities," Robson said.

"All of this is impacting Jamie's mental health as he feels he is not important enough to be able to access a swimming pool.

"The only times he is able to get out the chair is getting in or out of bed, and going swimming. But so many pools do not have proper facilities for wheelchair users."

Robson said a changing room hoist is needed to help get Rigg out of his chair, with another hoist required at the pool to help him get into the water.

However, some leisure centres that said they had disabled access simply meant getting access into the building itself, and not the water.

Others had only one hoist near the pool but not in the changing room.

Robson said: "We can use the Gorbals one, but he lives in Irvine, so it's a long trip and not something that can be done regularly.

"It's such a shame - Jamie and his girlfriend can get out their chairs in the pool, hug each other and have a nice time. They've not been able to do that for months now."

The Portal leisure centre in Irvine does have both hoists but one was out of operation when Rigg visited. Council body KA Leisure says it has now been fixed.

Several leisure facilities in Ayrshire run by KA Leisure have been tried by Robson and Rigg in recent months, including Auchenharvie in Saltcoats, Vikingar in Largs, and The Citidel in Ayr. None had both of the required hoists.

A pool in Linwood in Renfrewshire does have suitable accessibility but - like the Garnock Valley pool - one hoist was broken.

A spokesperson for the Cerebral Palsy Scotland charity told BBC Scotland News the problems faced by Rigg showcase wider issues with access for people with disabilities across Scotland.

They said: "Access to leisure facilities and sport is essential for people with cerebral palsy, supporting physical health, independence and overall wellbeing.

"Yet, too often, barriers such as inaccessible environments or lack of appropriate equipment prevent people from taking part.

"Situations like this highlight a wider issue: accessibility must be built in as standard and properly maintained. Everyone should have equal access to the activities and spaces that support their health and participation in community life."

KA Leisure said The Portal in Irvine was now suitable, and the Garnock Valley hoist should soon be useable again.

A spokesperson said: "We recognise the importance of swimming as a vital form of exercise for many users, particularly those with limited mobility, and we take any concerns around accessibility very seriously.

"At Garnock Community Campus, the poolside hoist is operational following recent periods when it was taken out of use due to faults.

"An inspection will be completed to approve its reintroduction, and we aim to provide a further update as soon as this process is concluded."

The spokesperson added that pool hoists are available at Auchenrhavie and Vikingar, but not changing room facilities.

One Ren, which manages culture and leisure facilities in Renfrewshire, said: "OneRen recognises the importance of accessible leisure facilities and understands the frustration that barriers to participation can cause for disabled people.

"Erskine Pool and Johnstone Community Hub have fully operational pool hoists in active use.

"In addition to pool hoists, a number of OneRen venues provide Changing Places facilities, which include motorised changing benches and tracking hoists to support users with complex disabilities."