'He's a beautiful person' - public's support for disabled man turned away from nightclub on 30th birthday

Calls have been made for further education on how to help disabled people after a man was turned away from a nightclub on his 30th birthday.
Disabled Jamie Lee Jones was turned away from Vibe club in Peterlee on his birthday night out.Disabled Jamie Lee Jones was turned away from Vibe club in Peterlee on his birthday night out.
Disabled Jamie Lee Jones was turned away from Vibe club in Peterlee on his birthday night out.

Readers have leapt to the defence of 30-year-old Jamie Lee Jones, who wanted to celebrate his milestone birthday at Vibe in Peterlee.

He was turned away at the door first because he was wearing shorts and then again because the trousers he returned in did not have a zip.

A spokesman for the Ladhar Group, which owns Vibe, said: "We want to express our considerable sadness that the young man had his birthday spoilt by the rejection at the doorway."A spokesman for the Ladhar Group, which owns Vibe, said: "We want to express our considerable sadness that the young man had his birthday spoilt by the rejection at the doorway."
A spokesman for the Ladhar Group, which owns Vibe, said: "We want to express our considerable sadness that the young man had his birthday spoilt by the rejection at the doorway."
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Jamie is deaf and has cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, which causes a build up of fluid on the brain, along with epilepsy and asthma.

He was wearing shorts for comfort. The trousers he changed into did not have a zip so Jamie could use the toilet by himself.

While bosses at the club have pledged to speak to door staff about how to handle such situations and expressed their "sadness" at Jamie's night being spoilt, members of the public have called for better treatment of disabled people and a greater understanding of what disabilities may entail.

On the night of his birthday, he attended Vibe in the company of his mum Tracey Robinson, 54, who said "they need to have some understanding of people with disabilities".

The outfit Jamie was wearing on the night.The outfit Jamie was wearing on the night.
The outfit Jamie was wearing on the night.
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Here are some of your supportive messages for Jamie and his family from our social media pages:

Sarah McCluskey: "I think the least this establishment should do is provide an all-expenses covered party for this lads birthday! Shocking."

Stacey Jayne Clark: "Because his trousers didn't have a zip? Give [over] it's a low-class nightclub not Buckingham Palace."

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Suzanne Flint: "Why [do] your trousers need to have a zip to gain entry to a nightclub? And Vibe of all places? Please .. what a feeble excuse to refuse access to the poor lad."

Jude Kirtley Moon: "The owner should consider some training for their staff in relation to disability awareness and the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act)."

Michael Colin: "This club should make amends and give Jamie a party he will never forget."

Margaret Bell: "That's shocking spoiling his birthday."

Julie Devlin: "If the company truly are sorry then give him the experience he wanted as an apology not words."

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Read more: Family tells of upset after Peterlee's Vibe club bars entry to disabl...
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Maxine Roke: "Some door staff need to give their heads a shake."

Dawn Hutchinson: "Disgraceful."

Debbie Marsh: "Some people really are ignorant to disabilities."

Rea Brookes: "This is a disgrace I remember him being born not expected to live past 10 he should be allowed to celebrate his milestone birthday."

Alison Bilton: "It's getting beyond a joke for people like Jamie. It's about time companies were shown how to help the disabled."

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Keith Fletcher: "Gutted to read this I know him personally and he's beautiful person."

Sue Anderson: "No wonder security staff get a bad name . We are not all like that honestly. Such a shame."

June Hart: "They obviously don’t deserve your patronage."