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We’ve made sure all are welcome at the evening with Michael
• FURTHER to Keith Armstrong’s letter (Sorry Mr Palin, as a wheelchair user it seems I must decline the invitation, May 8), regarding the Michael Palin evening at Carlton School, we would like to offer our apologies for our current inability to provide wheelchair access to all parts of the building.
As Mr Armstrong rightly points out, it is a Victorian building. However, despite the school doing all it can to be fully inclusive – we have as yet been unable to secure funding for a lift.
This fundraising event, organised by the school, has proved to be extremely popular in the past and the only areas suitable are the halls, which are on the first and second floors.
However, we are pleased to say that we have managed to make arrangements to screen the evening live on the ground floor, which has access for all.
We again can only apologise for any inadvertent offence that was caused to Mr Armstrong and hope that he will be our guest on the night.
Finally, we would like to clarify that Mr Palin should not be blamed in any way.
As our patron he always gives his time unreservedly to Carlton and is a true friend of the school.
Jaquie Phelan
Headteacher and the governing body of Carlton Primary School, NW5
• AS chair of Artsline, London’s primary information and advice service for all disabled people on access to London’s arts and entertainment venues I was appalled and surprised to see the advert for Michael Palin’s meeting.
This seems odd since the arts world and many of its famous actors, writers etc support Artsline and its work to make all such venues fully accessible.
To hold an event like this and deny any disabled person the right to come along to see it is simply outwith the Disability Discrimination Act.
It is also a disgrace to the Camden Council education department to have allowed a primary school to be non-accessible for so long.
This is a slur on disabled people and we won’t accept this any more.
Roger Robinson
Chair, Artsline, and registered disabled
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