Making Changing Places Happen

“As the development officer for the Changing Places consortium it is a real pleasure to be working with Aveso as our campaign sponsors. Aveso have supported the campaign from day one of their involvement and work closely with the Changing Places team. Aveso also support families and individuals who need Changing Places provision alongside developers and providers to make sure that the campaign goes from strength to strength.”

Changing Places Development Officer

“Martin has worked within the learning disability field for 40 years. He started working on Changing Places in 2004 when he decided something needed to be done, so he brought together professionals from across Nottingham City Council and the NHS to create a Project Group to design a Changing Places toilet. The design was then installed in the Council’s new city centre public toilets in 2006. In 2005 he was invited by Department of Health Valuing People team to be a found member of the Consortium.

Martin’s retired in 2009 and now works on a voluntarily basis with the Consortium. Nottingham now has 14 Changing Places toilets and Martin’s experience has been very important in developing the campaign.”

Founding Member and Consortium Member for Changing Places

“The Changing Places campaign has really taken off in the past year and I’m incredibly proud to be part of it. I was thrilled to see the first Premiership football stadium install a Changing Places toilet and we’re working hard to get the stadiums hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup to install Changing Places toilets too. Here’s to another successful year and to reaching a new milestone of 700 Changing Places toilets!”

Changing Places Volunteer at Mencap

“Thousands of people with physical and/or learning disabilities cannot use standard accessible (disabled) toilets because they cannot walk or stand. They need support from one or two carers to use the toilet or to have their incontinence pad changed. Standard disabled toilets do not provide changing benches or hoists to lift the person on to the toilet or bench. Most are too small to accommodate more than one person.
Without ‘Changing Places’ toilets; the person with disabilities is put at risk; and families/carers are forced to risk their own health and safety by lying their daughter; son or loved one on a toilet floor. This is dangerous, unhygienic, humiliating and undignified. We take it for granted that we would not change a baby on the floor of a public toilet – so why on earth is this acceptable for disabled children?”

Changing Places Campaigner

“We launched The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity in August 2013, celebrating Josh’s 13th Birthday, with the dual aims of providing financial help and advice & support to children with brain tumours and post surgery disabilities, as well as making the world ‘changing friendly.’

We’ve always talked about the ‘changing’ issue. As he’s got older and bigger – he’s 13 now – Josh doesn’t fit onto the baby-sized changing benches, so we have to wedge his buggy underneath so it doesn’t snap & struggle, its either that or change Josh on a dirty toilet floor. On a few occasions I have found I haven’t the strength to lift him back up, so have had to call on a member of the public to help. This is embarrassing for Josh. Like any young boy, he values his privacy and his dignity.

We only came across the Changing Places campaign as we were launching our charity, and decided to get in touch because we share such similar aims and, together we will be stronger. Our dream would be for a changing places toilet in every area and that decision-makers and businesses will work with groups and campaigners like ours to raise money and to raise awareness.”

Changing Places Campaigner

“Lowri is 12 years old and has a condition called Rett Syndrome which means she is totally dependant on her family for all activities of daily living. Without Changing Places toilets it is a nightmare. We try to plan our days around being home for mealtimes because Lowri needs to go to the toilet, meaning we can only spend a few hours away from home. We have a large mat which we carry around in case we have to change her when we are out. We put this down on the floor of ‘disabled’ loos and just muddle through – we have countless experiences at eye level of disgusting toilet floors.”
Bethan and Lowri play a major part in our campaign nationally and are actively campaigning for more Changing Places toilets in local Country Parks and Hospitals so that their whole family can continue to do the things most of us take for granted.

Changing Places Campaigner

“Julie is a young woman who lives in Newcastle. She has profound and multiple learning disabilities, meaning that both her physical and learning needs are very complex. Julie and Margaret need a Changing Places toilet – with an adult-sized height-adjustable changing bench where Julie’s pad can be changed, and a hoist to lift Julie from her wheelchair to the bench. They also need plenty of space.

‘We used to be given space to change Julie on the floor of the room where they stored body bags!’ says Margaret, ‘but this was converted into retail space. If only they could have converted it into a proper changing facility’.”

Changing Places Campaigner