The Cavendish Hotel Cocktail Competition & The Art Of Being British

Welcome back to Access London and thank you once again for your continued support in promoting disability access and awareness in the Capital.



Today's post announces a special competition from Access London's recommended hotel for 2011 - The Cavendish, St James's. Access London has posted many posts over the last year on The Cavendish including room tours, dinner, pre-theatre menus, Access information and much more - to read more about the hotel, please see our previous posts on it.



This September sees the return of The Art of Being British Festival to Jermyn Street, St James's on Saturday 10th September 12 noon to 5pm. After a very successful festival in 2010, the businesses along Jermyn Street and around St James's are returning for 2011.

The event boasts "some of the finest British fashion and lifestyle brands participating in a traffic free event that is packed with eccentric Britishness, unique presentations and engaging activities". The event takes place along the full length of Jermyn Street, just a 2 minute walk from Piccadilly Circus. It is hosted by The Crown Estate and the Jermyn Street Association.

The event will feature presentations from leading tailors, shirt and shoe makers, chefs, fine goods and food and wine retailers. There will also be a catwalk that will showcase several shows throughout the day, readings inside Waterstones bookshop, sports cars on display, interviews, world record attempts, cheese and wine demonstrations, all-day brunch and The Ritz will be hosting dance classes and demonstrations throughout the day and evening. St James's Church will be holding a mini fete and The Cavendish Hotel will be serving a charity hog roast (back by popular demand from last year) with all donations going to St James's Church.

This is an event suitable for the whole family and for those with disabilities and/or using a wheelchair or mobility scooter as Jermyn Street is closed to road traffic for the day. There is step free Access to both St James's Church and Waterstones from the Piccadilly entrances.

As well as serving a delicious hog roast from outside its Jermyn Street entrance, The Cavendish have also created a competition in the lead up to this event and one that you won't want to miss out on!

The Cavendish has created a new cocktail, the Red Rosa, to mark the Art of Being British and is challenging aspiring mixologists to create a cocktail of their own to complement it. To be in with a chance of winning, simply send your cocktail idea, recipe and name to competition@thecavendishlondon.com by Wednesday 24 August 2011.



The winning cocktail will be available, along with the Red Rosa, at The Cavendish throughout September.

The lucky winner will enjoy a weekend's stay in a Junior Suite, with afternoon tea and of course get to taste their own cocktail creation which will feature on the bar menu during September 2011.

The Red Rosa cocktail was inspired by Rosa Lewis, the celebrity chef of her time and the hotel's most famous owner. The cocktail is made with freshly muddled strawberries, grenadine syrup, Cointreau and elderflower cordial.




So what will your Essentially British cocktail be? - don't forget to post your entries to competition@thecavendishlondon.com by Wednesday 24 August 2011 to be in with the chance to win this fabulous prize.

For more information about the competition and about The Cavendish PLEASE CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE or THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE

COMING NEXT: Access London Celebrates Phantom of the Opera's 25th Anniversary with the first in a series of posts containing current and former cast interviews - first up, the fabulous Michael Xavier.
COMING SOON: The Natural History Museum - Dinosaur Exhibition

The Royal Wedding - Disabled Access

Hi Everyone. This is just a short, extra little post for this week, based on an article on the DirectGov website.



This month, the country, and London in particular, are all buzzing about the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton on Friday 29th April. The day has been created as an extra Bank Holiday to celebrate and many will be journeying into town to help the couple celebrate.

As you can imagine, London will be packed and even more busy than usual on this day. Many people are hoping to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple. This will be difficult enough for able bodied people, as there will be large crowds along the whole route, but for people with disabilities, it seems an even more daunting experience.

DirectGov have issued details of locations along the route that have been reserved for people using a wheelchair and a carer (1 carer per disabled viewer will be allowed entry into these areas). There are several areas along the route, including Horse Guards Road, Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park.

For details on all the designated locations and the times that you can access them (they are generally accepting people on a first come basis from 07.30 onwards) then here is the link to the Direct Gov website and the article: The Royal Wedding


Access London would like to wish the couple a happy and special day.

If you are travelling up there for the day, have a fantastic time and enjoy the celebrations.

Phantom of the Opera & Her Majesty's Theatre - Part 3

Welcome back to Access London. Firstly, we would like to say a big Thank You for your continued support of the blog, it means a lot and we really appreciate every one of our readers.

Today sees Access London's final post in its series on Phantom of the Opera. To read more about the show, the access to Her Majesty's Theatre and an interview with the Phantom himself, John Owen Jones, please see out previous posts.

Access London recently had the privilege of interviewing Sofia Escobar who is currently playing Christine Daae in Phantom at Her Majesty's.

Sofia, who was born in Portugal, has played Maria in West Side Story and also performed as Christine as part of the 10,000th performance of Phantom at Her Majesty's.

AL: London is home to actors of many nationalities. Why did you choose London in particular to come and study and perform?
SE: I chose London because of its diversity, its rich cultural life and also because of the reputation of the school I went to, Guildhall School of Music and Dance.

AL: Christine Daae is one (if not the) biggest female roles in musical theatre. What most attracted you to the role?
SE: Christine really is a dream come true for an aspiring musical theatre performer. In my case it's one of the most complete roles: it combines everything to a very high standard - the wonderful music, the dancing and the acting, supported by an amazing script makes Phantom of the Opera the success that it is, running for almost 25 years.

AL: What did it mean to you being part of Phantom's 10,000th performance?
SE: It was surreal to be onstage with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Michael Crawford. It was a moment I'll cherish for the rest of my life. It was unbelieveable and a real honour to have been part of it.

AL: Which scene or song is your favourite to perform in Phantom?
SE: It's hard to say because they are all so beautiful but having to choose one I'd pick 'Wishing' because of the intensity of those words, anyone who has ever lost someone will know exactly what I mean.

AL: If you could choose any other role to play in musical theatre, what would it be?
SE: There are a number of parts I'd still love to play in my career. I really can't choose just one!

AL: How do you prepare yourself before a show?
SE: I usually arrive to my dressing room very early. I like having time to prepare. I do my make-up and hair and start warming up my body with stretching exercises and then vocal warm up. I also like to have time to really focus on the part.

Access London would like to offer a huge Thank You to Sofia for taking the time to talk to us. We hope you enjoyed hearing what she had to say as much as we did.

Phantom of the Opera is a 'Phantastic' night out and Access London would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the whole cast and crew at Her Majesty's for all their hard work and also to all of the front of house staff who are some of the friendliest and helpful in the West End. To book tickets, please call: 0844 412 4653. To book access tickets, please call: 0844 412 4648.

Access London will be posting about the amazing sequel to Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, very soon.

In the meantime, please feel free to leave a comment and to follow the blog, there is lots more to come!

COMING SOON: The National Gallery, The 39 Steps, Love Never Dies, The Rainforest Cafe

Welcome to Access London

Welcome All to the new Access London blog.

I am based just outside London and have a disability that means I have mobility related problems. I started this blog to help others with disabilities to grow in confidence and venture out into London and experience all the wonders that our capital city has to offer.

I regularly go to central London and stay for long weekends or simply visit for the day. This blog will share some of the information I have gathered on my journeys to help those with mobility related disabilities to make the most of the cultural delights of the city.

I will be posting information and locations on the best places to see and go that have made the effort to assist those of us with such disabilities. The blog will cover a variety of places and experiences to suit different ages and interests.

Short question and answer sessions with some of the people who work at/run the attractions will be included as often as possible and I will review each place and provide contact details so you can find out more information that suits your own requirements.

This isn't just a blog for those of us that live in or just outside London, but for those who live elsewhere in the UK and abroad. I will be reviewing places to stay and have one particular hotel that I would recommend to anyone visiting the city - more on that next week!

Each month, I aim to post an additional post about an attraction in a different UK city. Many of these will be places I have visited myself. However, if you would like the chance to feature as a guest blogger, writing about an attraction in the city you live, please get in touch. I can be reached at clairelouiseatroe@hotmail.com

I use a mobility scooter and so the places I visit and review will have that in mind, so those of you who use a standard, manual wheelchair should have no problems accessing what I have.

If you too have visited any of the places I review, drop me a line and leave a comment, I would love to hear from you. Don't forget to spread the word about this new and exciting blog - go on, Access London Now!