MSP left 'heartbroken' after struggle to find accessible Edinburgh pub with wife
MSP George Adam says he had to abandon plans to watch the Scotland game in Edinburgh, after finding multiple pubs couldn't accommodate his wife's mobility scooter
A MSP is telling {{stationname}} news that he was left 'heartbroken' after failing to find an accessible pub in Edinburgh on Tuesday (September 27) night.
George Adam, who is a member for Paisley, and wife Stacey, who has multiple sclerosis, had booked a venue in the Capital's old town to watch the Scotland match Vs Ukraine.
But when they arrived they realised Stacey wouldn't be able to enter the venue on her mobility scooter due to the lack of a ramp - this was despite informing the pub of their requirements upon booking.
Mr Adam then found other bars in the area to be of a similar unsuitability and had to abandon his plans.
He told us: " We ended up with a situation where Stacey became quite disappointed and said, 'George, why don't you just go and meet people that are coming up to me as for watch the game and enjoy it that way?'
"And that just got me angry, because I said, 'why should you end up having to go home?'.
"it just broke my heart when Stacey ended up saying 'I'll just go home' because I just went 'No, you're not the problem here.'"
Mr Adam said that he understand many buildings in the Old Town are of course very old, and therefore are not often as easy to make accessible.
But he's pleading with venue owners to look into how they can get work done to make their bars accessible to all, he said:
"Every area, including Edinburgh, have access panels, where those who are wheelchair users and alike can do a survey on your premises and tell you what you need.
"And nine times out of ten things are not expensive. I know business owners think it can be expensive, but most the time it isn't."
Mr Adam had taken to social media to vent his frustration, but admitted his post ended up being a filtered version of his feelings, saying:
"I had gone into a total rage about the whole thing. And it just upsets me that it upsets people like my wife, and they can't just have that accessibility."