On Wednesday evening, I decided to venture to Broughton Retail Park for a dinner out of the house. I needed a change from the old routine, and thought stuffing my face at Nando’s sounded like a good idea.

Broughton Retail Park is a 20-minute drive from my abode. I hadn’t been to Nando’s for a few years, so I was looking forward to some tasty chicken. Unfortunately, I always tend to overestimate the amount of spice that I can handle. I opted for the plain version of chicken liver and a Portuguese roll, but even this was too spicy and I required plenty of liquid to cool my overheated insides.

I just don’t understand why people eat spicy food? It seems to be a test of endurance for some. It doesn’t impress me, or take away from the fact that men who can shovel extra-spicy food down their gobs, still have other inadequacies that they are trying to make up for.

After deciding that this would be my last visit to the South African restaurant chain, I left the establishment to make the short journey to my vehicle. It is difficult to explain the situation outside Nando’s in Broughton. Basically, the surface outside the restaurant is all level, but then all of a sudden there is an unexpected rise in the pavement, and a step (I will have to go back there soon to get a photograph). In addition, there are no clear signs or hazard warnings painted on the floor. After eating, I totally forgot about this weird arrangement and drove my wheelchair off the side of the step, falling head first on to the concrete floor.

Sorry about sharing this image but I wanted to share my injuries. I scraped my nose and cheek and also injured my elbow and one or two fingers, but it could have been much worse. I was obviously shaken up, as was my personal assistant, but I was impressed by the reaction of the public. Loads of people came to my rescue along with security and even the police. They wanted me to go to A&E, but I didn’t have double-vision and I wasn’t feeling sick, so I thought I would be OK with my personal assistant staying the night to check on my progress. I did not fancy the idea of spending hours on end in the hospital, as a victim of Tory budget cuts.

Everything turned out fine in the end and my wounds are healing well. I dare say I could probably make a fortune from suing the Retail Park for their hazardous pavement and inadequate signage, but I am not interested in making any financial gain from the situation. Instead, I just want to make sure that the pedestrian paths are safe for everyone to use, so that no one has to go through a similar ordeal as I did last Wednesday.

I will be contacting Broughton Retail Park to flag my concerns and hopefully work with them to ensure a level playing field for all…