Sophie: Hi, I'm Sophie-Marie Odom, Lifestyle Magazine's editor.
Sam: And I'm Samantha Renke, broadcaster and disability rights campaigner. And I am currently dialling in from a not-so-sunny Lancashire. And as always, a huge welcome to The Motability Lifestyle Pod. In this podcast, we invite our friends from the disability community into the studio for a conversation about how we all can live our best life, particularly when navigating a disabling world.
Sophie: Now as this is the last episode of Series Two.
Sam: No! It’s come too fast!
Sophie: You may know this already because you hear me say it week-after-week. But for those who are just tuning in, welcome. And if you're listening to us in your car, you can also watch the full episode on YouTube, complete with captions in British Sign Language. Also, make sure to click Subscribe or Follow wherever you're listening, so you're the first to know of each new episode. Sam, it's the last episode of the series.
Sam: I know, I'm so sad. I don't know about you, but I feel like it's been such an upheaval in a sense of a new studio. Me moving away, having an operation, winning awards, and I feel like we've only just kind of settled into it. And now we're like, “We’re done!” I’m like, “What’s happening!” But we will have a very special treat from our very, very own Matt Lizzimore who will be joining us for the whole episode! He's trying to get our spot Sophie! He's trying to nuzzle in. He's going to overshine all of us.
Matt: You two are still very much the main characters. I'm just the supporting cast. What a joy it is for me to spend a morning with my two favourite podcast hosts.
Sophie: Welcome, Matt. In this episode, we'll be transporting listeners back to Motability's The Big Event which took place back in May at Birmingham's NEC. While we were there, we asked visitors to share their questions with us. So in this last episode you, our listeners, are our special guests for this week as we'll be answering your questions. Sam, how are you?
Sam: I'm feeling a little bit emotional. It's quite stressful at the moment, you know, I absolutely love that we get to talk to our listeners. I think, right at the beginning, do you remember early on in season one, I think that's what we wanted to do. We were kind of- We always aimed to get everyone involved and we wanted this to very much be a community and a combined effort. So I'm so grateful that everyone has absolutely got some questions for us. I love that, I adore that.
Sophie: So for listeners, Sam, tell us why you're not joining us in the studio today.
Sam: Yeah. So, gosh. So I'm a bit lazy, no I’m only joking, couldn't be bothered. No, I had an operation on my leg a few weeks ago, so when I was a little, little girl, I had some telescopic rods put into my legs and, in theory, they should have grown with me as I grew older. However, they just decided one day that they didn't like being in my legs anymore, so they decided to start coming out of my bones. So if you're a bit squeamish, sorry about that. Long story short, I needed to get a big telescopic rod removed from my leg and it's been quite a lengthy process and I'm sure a lot of the listeners and viewers can totally relate because I've had these conversations in the past. I just didn't connect- Putting it politely, didn't connect with my surgeon in London and we didn't agree on a few things. And I'm a huge advocate, very similar to when you're buying a car, you know, you don't just go to a car dealership and go, “I’ll have that one.” You do your research, you shop around, you know, because your body, like a car, your body is hugely important and I don’t think we talk about medical autonomy enough. So I held out and I was in a privileged position because, you know, the pain was manageable. But I held out until I felt really comfortable with a new surgeon who understood my needs from a holistic point of view, you know, understood that disabled people, we've got busy lives. We've got families to support. You know, if an operation is going to be so impactful, it needs to be right. It needs to be at the right time and you need to make sure that you've got the support in place afterwards. I'm really grateful because it went really, really well. You'll be proud of me, both of you. I did it on local anesthetic. Can you believe that? They took this huge rod out my leg on local anesthetic, and I wish I would have recorded it because apparently I was saying some very, very hilarious things. So there we go. I was probably spilling all the beans about both of you.
Sophie: Well, you're missed in the studio, Sam.
Sam: Yeah. It's a shame that I couldn't be there. But you know what you've got to listen to your body sometimes don’t you.
Sophie: Exactly. For sure. There is a message there. Shall we get started into reasons to be cheerful? So our first reasons to be cheerful for today is it's been announced that comedian and CBeebies actor Chris McCausland will be joining the Strictly Come Dancing 2024 line up, making him the first blind contestant. So it's great news in terms of representation, so good luck Chris, if you're listening. Are you a Strictly fan, Matt?
Matt: I don’t know I’d go as far as saying I’m a fan but I do end up watching a lot of it. My mum's a huge fan and I spend a lot of time at my parents' house. So often I go around there on a Saturday night and obviously, you know, “Right, everyone shut up. Strictly's on.” “Okay. Yeah.” So, yeah, I've watched- For someone who's not necessarily a fan, I've watched an awful lot of Strictly and, you know, I enjoy it when I watch it of course. Yeah. It's great. Maybe it's because I can't dance to save my life, so it's a bit triggering for me.
Sophie: Sam, will you be tuning in?
Sam: I actually was, just a few days ago I was with Ellie Simmonds, who is fast becoming a good friend of mine. So, she was amazing on Strictly. So, yeah. I might just get the- The highlights in between watching my true crime. I might just, you know, get a few highlights. Maybe- Maybe Matt you can- You can give me the update.
Matt: Yeah, sure. I'll send you a nice summary of what happened.
Sophie: I don't know when it comes onto BBC because they haven't announced the dates as to when it's starting, but I'm sure they will soon. So if you are a Strictly fan, keep your ears peeled or your eyes peeled and yeah, I'm sure it's coming soon. Reasons to be cheerful, number two. So The Big Issue magazine, was co-produced by people with learning disabilities for the first time to mark Learning Disability Week, which took place back in June. 17th to the 23rd of June. It's an annual awareness week. So although this took place back in June, you can still read the magazine online on BigIssue.com. Members of MenCaps Myth Busters group, a group of people who are living with a learning disability and campaign for change, worked with the magazine's editorial team to write features, create designs and collaborate on how The Big Issue, you know, comes together to make it more accessible for those with a learning disability. So people who took part included the CBeebies presenter George Webster, campaigner Nigel Smith and Paralympian swimmer Jessica-Jane Applegate. I just think that's great, you know? It should be happening more and more, but it's great that The Big Issue is taking that stand. and did that.
Sam: I think so. And this is something that I've really been speaking a lot about this year actually whenever I'm, you know, delivering a talk or delivering training is really putting the emphasis on celebrating the multifaceted nature of our community I think for a very, very long time, we have seen positive representation, which is wonderful. Let's not diminish all the positivity that we see but I did feel personally, and I know a lot of people probably feel the same, that there was still very much a cherry picking moment when we looked at disability, you know what disabilities were maybe more palatable or more accepted in society. And I think, you know, when we look at the disability community, we are so diverse. You know, we all- We're lumbered under this one, you know, identity group. But we are so beautifully diverse. And I thing this, you know, with Strictly and with The Big Issue and Mencap do some amazing work. I think it just really shines a light on how multifaceted we are and how we need to honour that. And speaking of honouring it, honouring disabled people, I think that's a real big message for this month, which is Disability Pride Month. You know, let's honour all of our community, not just a- A cherry picked few selection because that's not- That's not a true representation.
Sophie: Very, very true Sam. You just mentioned there about Disability Pride Month, which we- We spoke about last episode but we didn't know the theme did we back then? But we now know the theme, don't we, Sam?
Sam: Yeah. ‘We Want A Life Like Yours.’ Is that right? Yes. And very similar to History Month, there's always a theme each year.And I think that that's really nice because although, you know, Pride is about celebrating your own accomplishments, your own achievements, you know, celebrating and amplifying the voices of our community, but also reflecting on the barrier that we still experience, you know, highlighting the barriers. And I think, again, you know, humanising disability because we are still very much othered and marginalised and dehumanised. You know, we just want a life like yours. And this is why it's really important that whenever we do anything that's disability-centric, we need to stop amplifying and using, you know- You know, euphemisms like, "Oh, that's a special- That's special treatment." Or, "That's special needs," or "That's a-" You know, "We've done the extra mile for you."And it's like, well, actually, no, you know, being able to go to work or being able to go out and be with your family and go to the cinema independently you know, go to the bathroom, you know, these aren’t the special, special things. This is just what every- Every person does, you know? So why should that be exceptional or any different for disabled people. And I think that' a really powerful message. You know, 1 in 5 families have a connection to someone who's disabled. You know, that's a statistic from the charity Scope and I like to bring up that statistic because it says, you know, we are- We are brothers. We are sisters. We are partners. We are colleagues. We are your neighbour. You know, we are all these things. Oh, and by the way, we have a disability,
Sophie: Love that. Thank you, Sam.
Matt: Wow, that was pretty Not sure- Not sure what I can add to that. Sam has it covered! But I do think- I do think what you said was interesting about how, you know, 1 in 5 of us have a connection to someone with disability because, as you were saying earlier Sam, disability is so vast, like such a huge range. And I think so much inaccessibility in life comes from a place of people just not knowing or not, you know, not having an understanding of what disability entails. And it's going to be difficult because as you say, you know, it is such a huge, huge, spectrum. And so, yeah, you know, anything that we've spoken in the past
about the importance of representation, but yeah, anything that can kind of highlight basic, you know, real basic accessibility needs, and so that people realise what some of the barriers and difficulties are is only going to help. So. Yeah.
Sam: And I think the only way that you're going to get to the crux of it, because, of course, we're not all- We're not all born particularly if you- If you don't think disability impacts your life, I mean, the chances are it does, you might not be aware of it, but, you know, just ask people, you know, obviously ask with kindness, ask with respect. But I always say, you know, “If you’ve met one disabled person, that's what you've done, you've met one disabled person." We're not you know, we're not a monolith. And, you know, you need to overcome your own uncomfortable uncomfortability. I never get this word right. Help me out here. Uncomfortable-ness. No. That's wrong.
Sophie: I would say that.
Matt: I'd go for uncomfortableness.
Sam: Should we Google it in a minute? Because I feel like- Anyway, I think you need, you know, non-disabled people and really need to kind of take a stand and go, "Okay, I feel a bit awkward around disability but you know what? I'm gonna- I'm going to be a bit of an adult about it, and I'm gonna, you know, get over that a little bit and-" And engage with us, you know, and engage with Disability Pride. Do you know, be that ally, be that tangible ally.
Sophie: Fantastic. I look forward to seeing, you know, what people are doing with Disability Pride. Let us know on Instagram and DMs.
Sam: Yes, absolutely! Anyway, so enough of that, enough of Pride.
LISTENER QUESTIONS
Sam: Let's get stuck into our questions from our lovely listeners. So our team have gathered, at the Motability’s The Big Event back in May, they've gathered a whole host of questions. So we're going to have a bit of a 5-aside, you know, quickfire questions from our listeners, watchers and just lovely people.
Listener Question 1: Just more of what they think we can do to show- To (A) raise the visibility of young, disabled people. The amount of times I get out my car and until people see my wheelchair, I get all those, “Oh, she shouldn't be parking in that space.” Even if I put my badge, they’ve think I’ve stolen, like, my Grandma's badge. And then I've even had people going, “Oh, well, that’s someone else’s wheelchair because you just want to park in a space.” It's like, well, I still have to pay. And it's only about five meters closer than that one that's not disabled. I'd rather park at the end and run through the car park then in this space. And it's still in this year, in 2024, that people forget that you could be born disabled and that disabilities impact all ages and we need to do more to show people that. And also that adaptive cars can be a thing because people are like, "Oh, you shouldn't drive a car because you can't walk. So you obviously can walk if you're driving a car, you shouldn’t be using a wheelchair," and it’s like they’re not- You can have the same. So we need to do- I don't know what we can do to raise the profile of younger, disabled drivers.
Sam: Wow. So that is a question and a half. And I think a question that I've heard on many occasions, not necessarily related to driving per se but also just, you know, using facilities, using accessible bathrooms when you might not look disabled enough. So I definitely think that external voices from the non-disabled community can be very judgmental, can be very triggering, can be very, ill- Ill advised. Is that the right word? I guess, you know, can come from a place of ignorance rather than fact. And I think- I think I find this quite sad because I often think if you- If our non-disabled, peers would put as much energy into maybe having a go or having a dig or, you know, kind of, you know, offering unsolicited advice. Around disability or our lives. If they put that much effort into doing that, maybe into actually being a good ally, fighting for our rights and fighting for social justice. If you put your energy into that, I think maybe we might be in a better place than we are- We are now. And I think it comes down to, first of all, people are just a bit nosy. And I also think it comes down to not understanding what disability really looks like. So obviously I have a physical disability. People, you know, kind of see that. They stare and they know if I get out of a car, then that's, you know, I'm using that. But if you've got an invisible, hidden or unseen disability, then that just throws up a plethora of other different, ableist, kind of, discrimination that you will experience. So I think for me, it's always about educating others. But I also think that, you know, it can be very difficult when you're young to drown out those- Those voices. The best advice I can give to people is, you know, you don't owe anyone an explanation, you know? Although in the moment, it can be either embarrassing. Not embarrassing for you but embarrassing for them who are getting it wrong. But don't feel like you need- You owe anyone that justification. You know, we are all trying to do our best in this life. We're all muddling along. We're all, you know- Asking for help when you have a disability. It's hard. So, you know, using facilities that are there for you. For some people- I mean I read messages weekly when they go, "Well I don't use those spaces, even though I should, I don't because I don't want to take it from other people.” I'm like, “Girl go use it, use everything, take everything.” You know, get as much as you can. So I think, you know, be proud. That's that word again. Be proud of the fact that you are living your best life. You're using the resources that are there, that you are entitled to and try your best to drown out those, you know, ableist voices. Don't feel like you need to you know, kind of give an answer or reply. Just you do you. You do you and crack on.
Sophie: That's great advice. I couldn't have said it better myself because I was exactly going to say that. That people can be nosy.
Matt: Yeah.
Sophie: And sometimes it's a case of, you know, remembering that.
Sam: Understand where your emotional cup is. You know, if you've got the energy to be a bit sarcastic and be a bit cheeky back, you know, go for it. But if not, you know, if not, just kind of let them be them. Let them be their people.
Sophie: Fantastic. Got anything to add or should we move on?
Matt: I mean, the- The- The idea of- Obviously there's something in that question about people thinking, "Oh, you shouldn't be able to drive." And it's a funny one because people just don't know about adaptations. It's quite a niche- It's not niche, that's the thing. But in terms of people's exposure to it, it is and actually it's really incredible stuff that can be done to vehicles for adaptations and people just don't know they exist. But it's hard to know what is the- What is the platform to amplify that? I mean, social media is fantastic for that sort of thing and my hope is that, you know, younger generations will just naturally be more exposed to this kind of thing. Like I saw- I saw a really cool video on TikTok the other day of this guy who just got his new van, and he'd like, you know, he'd completely convert it so that he could drive it but he had all these, like, fantastic small adaptations so he could, you know, he could indicate using his knee and things like that. The sort of bespoke adaptations that you can have made to a vehicle are so vast. It really is incredible. But people just don't know they exist. So, yeah, I can see why that would be a frustration, but- but I'm hoping that-
Sophie: There’s over 700,000 Motability customers. So there’s a lot of people using possibly adaptations in their vehicle.
Matt: Yeah, absolutely. And it's also weird that people kind of assume that, you know, the steering wheel pedals and gear stick is- It's a bit arbitrary, in a way. That's just kind of what we settled on as a default of how to drive a car. But that doesn't mean that there aren't other ways that are just as effective. It's just kind of what we ended up on and that's what people got used to. And we stuck with it because there's nothing that's drastically different that's obviously better currently, but it doesn't mean that there aren’t other ways of driving a car that are actually just as effective.
Sam: And also, hang on a minute, who's judging your driving? Let me- Let me be a back seat passenger and let me criticise every- “Oh, you didn't indicate, aye up.” But I think it goes back to that whole narrative of dehumanising disabled people. And we've spoken about you know, motherhood, like I've had pregnant, disabled friends who have literally had people tell them they shouldn't be mothers or fathers or caregivers because of their disability. So I think it's not just about driving, it's just about living your- Maybe people are just jealous. I think that's what it is. They're just jealous that other people are just cracking on with it.
Sophie: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Okay, fabulous. Should we move on to question two.
Listener Question 2: What is your favourite song to play in the car?
Matt: I think it depends what kind of mood. Very much depends on what kind of mood I'm in. And I've got- I've a pretty broad taste in music and I kind of like anything from pop, hip hop, grime, metal, whatever. So, it very much depends what kind of mood I’m in. I think Master of Puppets by Metallica, I quite like if I'm on my own and having a little blast down a road that's quite- That's quite fun. But usually not if the baby's in the car.
Sophie: Baby Shark.
Matt: Yeah, yeah, then it's more that sort of speed yeah.
Sam: I'm definitely like you. My music, you know, kind of my music, it's very eclectic. So it depends on what mood I am. And I'm- I'm sometimes- I'm such a dramatic person. I mean, you never thought that did you? Either of you? Who knew that- I’m very emotive so it definitely depends on my emotions and where I am. But I think it needs to feel like summer. So, like The Mamas & The Papas California Dreamin', you know, like some real- Oh, and Kiss From A Rose from Seal. Love a bit of that. Love a bit of Seal. I'm showing my age now aren’t I? Bloomin’ heck.
Sophie: I think, again, my music taste is eclectic, but in the car I do make a conscious effort
not to listen to anything too like hype hype. Because I know there are studies as well that if you do, sometimes you drive faster.
Matt and Sam: Yeah, yeah. Really?
Sophie: Yes, yes there are. But I just find it makes me feel like I've got a, I don't know, not drive in a certain way but- Or someone cuts me up, I might react differently if I listen to one type of music to another. And also with kids in the car, like we were saying, you do end up listening to- To different music and music these days. I'm going to sound older than I am, but music these days is very suggestive and I'm always very conscious of what the kids are listening to and repeating. Because kids will sing along. And I’m like you shouldn’t be singing that.
Sam: I know, but remember what some of the songs-
Sophie: I know!
Sam: Some of the songs that we didn't even know what the lyrics meant. And now looking back, I'm like why did my mum not give me a slap round the head. Like seriously, I'm like, “Whoa!”
Sophie: I know, but I do like listening to gospel music in the car. That is my favourite type of music to listen to in the car. And it's like a good way to start my morning, to be honest. Especially when I’m doing the school run where it's just, yeah, busy and very hectic out there. And it's just- It's calming, it's uplifting. And yeah, I just yeah, the kids love it too. Question three.
Listener Question 3: What are you most proud of?
Sophie: Oh, I like this one. This is always hard, I find, to answer. Because it’s quite hard. I don't know if you guys fee the same way. It's quite hard to talk about your your own accomplishments.
Matt: Yeah. I'm not proud of anything. Not done anything good or worthwhile.
Sam: Your child?!
Matt: Yeah. Yeah. I'm very proud of her. Yeah. I'm proud of her ability to make mess. Very incredible.
Sophie: Yeah, that's what I would have said. I think- I think for me, I've got a section into two parts. So professionally and personally. Personally, definitely family. The family I've created,
kids, husband, very proud of them. Professionally, I would definitely say working on Motability Lifestyle, because I've- I've- I've had a long career, very, very long career as a writer, journalist, editor. And out of everything I've worked on, I would say that this is the most impactful. Nice. Of the work I've done. And in terms of creating, like all the things we've create just to make, you know, to make it- To make a change, a difference, and highlight issues that needed highlighting. I would definitely say I'm very proud of, yeah, working on Lifestyle, with you wonderful people.
Sam: Oh, we love that.
Sophie: What about you guys?
Matt: Go on Sam.
Sam: So I think there could be like many things obviously, I am- I'm definitely the yes person. So there's lots of accolades under my belt. But I was thinking about this the other day. And although I'm super proud of all of the things that I've achieved, I think on a personal note, I would have said maybe 12 years ago like taking that leap and moving to London, which was such a risk. And it was so scary. I pulled it through. But ironically, I think actually moving back to my hometown because actually this year it's been more about looking after and safeguarding my physical and mental wellbeing. And I think it can be quite scary taking a step back in that respect and going, “Do you know what? I need to just slow down a little bit.” I love what I do but I think I've put, you know, a lot of my younger adulthood and 20s and even early 30s, very much was to appease other people. So I went above and beyond to feel normal, "Whatever that is." And now I've kind of let go of that a little bit. I don't feel that pressure to fit in and I don't know whether that's age or whether it's because I'm working on myself. And, you know, I do therapy and I take more time off. When it was sunny a few weeks ago, I know we barely remember, I actually- I actually just didn't do much. And that was the first time in a very long time where I just sat and I enjoyed the sun. I enjoyed my garden. And I didn’t feel guilty, I didn’t feel guilty. I was like, “No, I'm just going to take time to heal. And, you know, look after myself.” And I- Even when I'm on holiday, normally, I'll sit there and I’ll feel guilty, like, “Oh, I should be working. I should be doing something.” So I'm glad I have now got to a point in my life where I've taken the pressure off a little bit and I've actually started to enjoy work a little bit more now because I'm doing it for me, rather than I need to prove a point.
Sophie: I love that.
Matt: Nice.
Sam: That was a bit philosophical, wasn't it?
Matt: It was lovely. Yeah, I don't know. I guess mine's a really, really vague in as much as I guess just- Just keeping with the plates spinning like just- Just being able to get by, keep your family life going and in good health. Keep your work life going and in, you know, in good health just being able to to do it all and manage, which sounds like- I think there's an expectation that that's the bare minimum in life is that you should, you know, that's what you do. You go to work, you whatever, You have a family, if you want to have a family, you pay your bills. You buy a house, whatever. Those are the kind of expectations. But actually it's not really easy to balance all of that sometimes. And I don't think people give themselves enough credit for being able to do those things, especially today with, you know, things as they are. It's not- It's not easy with the cost of living and all that sort of thing. So yeah, I think just basically balancing- Balancing life. Is something to be proud of.
Sophie: Yeah. There’s a term ‘Adulting.’
Matt and Sam in agreement: Yeah. Yes. Oh, yeah.
Sam: It's not easy. Hey, being an adult sucks! Honestly, if I were to go back to my younger self, you know, when you're at school, you're like, “I can't wait to grow up.” I'm like, “No! Don’t do it!”
Matt: Had no idea how good we had it.
Sam: It's hard work! I
Sophie: know! Why was we in such a rush to grow up, guys.
Sam: Oh, no. I mean, I think we're all doing really well, and I'm, again, so proud of what we've accomplished here. So, yeah. Ah feel the love, I wish I was in the studio. I'd be like-
Sophie: We’d be holding hands.
Sam: I know, right?
Listener Question 4: What kind of drinks do you like having when you're having days out?
Sophie: Oh, I guess this depends. Are we driving or not driving? I think we know what the answer would be if we're not driving, it would be prosecco.
Matt: Do you know what?
Sam: That was very quick. That was like, "I didn't have to think about that one."
Matt: Do you know what I'm going to go in with the soft drinks because I'm kind of a soft drinks guy. I don't drink, I don't- I rarely drink anyway, to be honest, for whatever reason. There is no reason. I just don't drink very often but I'm like- I have a real problem with Pepsi Max. I just drink so much Pepsi Max that-
Sophie: He’s not lying
Matt: I sit there at work with like a two litre bottle of Pepsi Max. It's a- It's a real issue for me but that is absolutely my go-to drink. Pepsi Max.
Sophie: We need to have a discussion about what's better, Diet Coke or Pepsi Max.
Matt: Oh, that's not a discussion. It would be a very short one. Pepsi Max. Much, much better. End of conversation.
Sam: Well, I don't do fizzy drinks at all. So, I wasn’t allowed- We weren't allowed it growing up, so I just kind of kept- Kept on with that. So I do quite like indulging in different teas. It's a little bit like fine wine, I guess. Like you've got all your different- All different flavours. And I quite like that. When I'm out and about, oh, it depends. I'm a bit- I am- I am a Prosecco girl like you, Sophie. And as I've gotten older, I just can't drink any more. It's really upsetting.
Sophie: Yeah. No more than one glass, let's be honest.
Sam: I mean, it's- Yeah, it is quite depressing, but, a lot of my friends are going teetotal, which is really interesting.
Sophie: Okay, onto the next question.
Listener Question 5: Do you have a favourite family friendly place to visit?
Matt: I quite like, Me and Liv- Previously, me and Liv loved eating out. That was our thing. We just always went out for food. But currently with, you know, sort of one year old. It's not quite as- It's not quite as enjoyable as it used to be. It's- It's a bit chaotic. And she doesn't want to sit still for more than 20 minutes. So we don't do that so much anymore. But what we do like doing is going to the park. So where I live, we're quite lucky. We've got a few kind of nature reserves dotted around. So we'll go for a walk in the nature reserve. Mabel quite likes just looking at all the stuff. There’s one with like a Peter Rabbit trail. And there's one for a Beatrix Potter trail, which is quite nice. And then at the end, there's like a little sort of rockery and sort of plant-y bit, I don't know what you would call it. But she loves running around that, looking at all the flowers and stuff. So that's quite nice. It gets us out and about. It's a nice, you know, really calming just being out in nature, away from all the cars and stuff and just having a nice stroll. Yes. So yeah, that's probably our go-to at the moment. It's quite, quite nice. And also there's like no cost which is- Which is also nice.
Sophie: Well there you go. Yeah. Because I live not far from like a woods area and it's the same. It's all about getting out in nature, running around, letting them run around. It's all about exerting energy. You need to come back with zero energy So that you can just be chill and calm. And that's the kids, not me. So yeah. So similar to you. And also just sometimes we go, you know, into town so into London. London Zoo is a really good place to visit. Or further out into LEGOLAND and, for those listening, who do you want to visit London Zoo because it can be quite pricey. They do have, as an offer for- If you're receiving some types of benefits. I think it's £6 for adults and free for under threes. And 4-15 year olds is £3, I believe. So yeah, that's- That's a tip for those who don't know.
Sam: And London Zoo, so they have a changing place facility and also they have quiet times so you can book ahead for quiet times which is- Which is wonderful. Where do I like to go? I've been just going to my local park. God, we’re getting old aren’t we? Parks! I’ve been going to the park that’s on- On the back of- At the back of my house. And it used to be owned by aristocracy, and now it's obviously just for people in, you know, local area to enjoy, but it's got a maze. So I don't know if you’ve ever been in a maze. Oh my goodness. Terror- I used to do it all the time as a child and I went in it the other day and I thought it was going to be easy. And then I got lost after two minutes and I had a panic attack and then I had to go through- They've got like escape routes, you know, just in case. But I think it's really nice kind of finding local areas that you can access safely, easily, cheaply, I think- I think, you know, again, we get- Because we live in a consumer society that we are constantly thinking that we need to, you know, get on a plane, we need to go far afield, we need to spend a fortune and I don't- I you know, it would be lovely if we can do that. But I don't think it's a necessity. And I think we can fin the beauty in our local area. So I urge everyone to kind of really get to know the history and heritage of where you live and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Sophie: Right, next question.
Sam: Moving on swiftly.
Listener Question 6: It's so wonderful. It only comes around once a year. I mean, having it twice a year. Would that be a possibility? I mean, something here affects someone here personally. And coming to this event affects me personally. You know. I find that really, very helpful.
Sophie: So although The Big Event just happens at the NEC once a year, there are regional events called One Big Days. I believe there's one in Harrogate in Yorkshire Event Centre, which is in August. You'd need to check the website for the exact date. And lastly, for 2024, there's The Big Event in Edinburgh. But if you're not able to attend any of the the events, you can you can catch up online via Motabilitythebigevent.co.uk Where they've got like watch on demand sessions. So even Matt's sessions for The Big Event- We spoke about the future of electric vehicles etc. etc. That can be found on there. Lucy Edwards was speaking at The Big Event as well. There was a whole host of speakers and you can go online to find and watch all of those.
CAR CHAT WITH MATT QUESTIONS
Sophie: Okay. So they were some brilliant questions. It was really good to hear from our readers or listeners or watchers because we’ve got a whole spectrum of different people now.
Matt: So multimedia!
Sophie: But obviously we can't end the show without Sam’s favourite part of the show. So Sam, over to you.
Sam: I feel the pressure now, and I'm at home and I’m gonna scare the cats, but here we go. Drum roll, drum roll please! It's time for Car Chat With Matt!
Matt: The best one, you saved the best till last. Epic.
Sam: I can't hear myself anymore. Like I've got tinnitus now ringing in my ears.
Matt: Okay so now we've got a couple of car chat specific questions that came up at The Big Event.
Car Question 1: Can I give my electric car back if it doesn't work very well? Because I'm- I'm getting it in about three weeks time.
Matt: This one's an interesting one. I would just say with any car, not just electric cars, do your best to make sure the car suits your needs before you go ahead. And, you know, get it because (A) Handing it back is going to be a bit of a pain. And (B) you've then got a wait for a new car if you do that. So it's just going to be huge inconvenience if you do pick a car that's not right for you. So, you know, go for a test drive if you can, do all the research you can, because the best thing you could possibly do is be really prepared and make sure the car suits you in the first place. So with electric cars, I would first of all check that you can actually get a charging point at home because that's where you get the biggest benefit of having an electric car is if you can charge at your house. So do check that first. Check that the, you know, if you don't own the home, just check that whoever is the home owner or leaseholder or whatever is happy for you to have a charger installed. And if you do own the home, check that your property is actually suitable to have one, because sometimes there are some unusual specifics about how the- How the power network works as to whether or not you can have a charger at home. So just check that you can have one. And if you can't have one, check what your local charging network is like because if you can't- If you don't have access to cheap charging that it might end up working out more expensive than having a petrol or diesel car. So I would advise to do that first. With regards to being able to hand the car back, you'd have to, you know, you have to check with Motability. You have to ask them- Under certain circumstances, they can do that. Sometimes they will require a cancellation fee depending on what the reasons are but every case is individual so my advice would be just to speak to Motability and to get an answer on that.
Sophie: So next question.
Car Question 2:
So my question will be about the EV and the actual distance you can travel. I'm finding it very hard. I look through the magazines. They all give a range. But, in real life, it's not- So I'd really like someone who's really tested it to answer my question.
Matt: Okay. Yeah. I get asked this quite a lot, and it's a difficult question to answer. Because if someone was to ask you how far can a petrol car go? Or how far can a diesel car go? Well, it depends, doesn't it? You know, there’s cars that can do 200 or 300 miles on a tank of fuel and there’s cars that could go 800 miles on a tank of fuel. And that's because there's lots of variables at play. You've got the size of the fuel tank, you've got how efficient the car is. And once you combine those, you get a very, very different answer to how far a car can go. And it's the same with electric cars. They have different siz batteries, which,if you imagine is being, you know the same as having a different size fuel tank, and that's measured in kilowatt hours. So if you ever see kWh next to a number that's talking about the size of the battery, so you might get a car with say 80 or 90 kilowatt hour battery, that's obviously got a much bigger energy reserve than a car that’s only got say a 30kWh hour battery. So that's going to affect the range. And then you've also got how efficient the electric car is. So that would be affected by things such as wind resistance- So drag coefficient, you know, how aerodynamic the car is and that kind of thing. So there's efficiencies at play. So every car will have a different range. And they'll be what is known as like its official range, test conditions, which isn't necessarily representative of the real world. They've got to give you a figure, so they do this test so every car will say, okay, it can do 300 miles on a full charge, but you won't necessarily get that in the real world in the same way that a petrol or diesel car won't give you the same miles per gallon that they say it will in the real world, it's the same thing. They just have to have a standardised test to be able to compare cars but it's not necessarily representative of what you get in real life. So what I would say is, I can't give you a rough figure of how far you can go in an electric car. There are some that can do 300 miles in the real world. There are some that can, you know, will do much, much less than that. There's some that can only do 100 and something, it also depends on the weather conditions. If it's cold, you don't go as far if you're using the heating, air conditioner, etc. Those things all affect your range. What I would say is, if there are cars you're interested in narrow them down and read some reviews. So in the reviews that I do in Lifestyle Magazine for the cars, I tell you what sort of range I got in the real world. So you can get a sense of what's realistic. And reviews online, of cars, will all give you the same in theory or any good review will give you an idea. There are lots of websites or forums where you can see what people are getting on a car. So I'd say, you know, choose- Narrow down some cars that you like to look of and then have a look at some further reviews to see what people are actually getting in the real world. That would be my answer. Sorry that was quite long.
Sophie: Oh no, very thorough.
OUTRO
Sophie: Thank you Matt, and thank you to our listeners, readers, watchers, we thank you for all your questions. They were really good. Do we all agree?
Matt: Lovely.
Sam: Absolutely.
Sophie: Fantastic. And that's it. That's it for the last episode of series two of The Motability Lifestyle Pod. It's been a blast. We've really enjoyed speaking to all of our wonderful guests this series. If you want to catch up on any previous episodes, they are all available on major streaming platforms and on YouTube, complete with BSL. Thanks to our producer Charlotte Mason at Insanity Studios and her team, including Saffron Mirza and Abi Sandler and our editorial assistant Lucie Rhodes at Wonderly.
Sam: If you liked this episode, click Follow or Subscribe. Tell all your friends and please leave a review and rating if you're listening or like and comment if you're watching. It's especially important to Follow it or Subscribe as that's how you'll know about series three. Woohoo! If you want to tell us what you thought or if there's something you'd like to hear, come and say hello on Instagram at Motability_Lifestyle_Mag And for some behind-the-scenes content, follow us on TikTok at MOTLifestyleMag. You can also watch the full video on YouTube with captions and BSL. You can find us on @motabilitylifestylemagazine. Finally, if you want more information about the Motability scheme, go to Motability.co.uk or if you want to learn more about Motability Foundation, visit Motability.org.uk And I'm going to cry and that's it. I have been Samantha Renke.
Sophie: And I’m Sophie-Marie Odum.
Matt: And I’m Matt Lizziemore.
Sam: See you next time.
Matt and Sophie: Bye! Bye!
