Accessibility to Midlands leisure is being taken to new heights with the opening of a further two assisted, accessible toilet facilities in Leicester. The city is now perhaps the most accessible in the UK in terms of the toilet facilities- known as Changing Places: it has 15 in the city with a further seven across the county, in venues ranging from community centres to major new developments such as the city’s new Haymarket Bus Station.
Under current regulations, it is desirable for Changing Places toilets to be installed in any building to which members of the public have access. The Changing Places in Leicester are part of an investment by the City Council that is approaching £1m to improve disabled access to community facilities.
The latest two, again supplied and installed by Britain’s leader in disabled toilet facilities, Clos-o-Mat, on behalf of local contractor F Stimpson, have been opened at Leicester Leys Leisure Centre and Aylestone Leisure Centre. Each features more space than a conventional wheelchair-accessible toilet, and extra equipment including a hoist, height adjustable adult-sized changing bench and a height-adjustable washbasin.
Observes Kelvin Grimes, Clos-o-Mat’s Away from Home project manager, “Potentially up to 14million people need some or all of the additional features delivered in a Changing Places*; without the space and/or equipment, they cannot access appropriate toilets away from home.”
Deputy city mayor Cllr Rory Palmer, who is responsible for adult social care, said: “We have come a long way in just three years, with 22 Changing Places toilets now available in Leicester and the surrounding area, but we know there is still more that needs to be done.
“Each Changing Places toilet we complete is another step towards ensuring that the city’s attractions are welcoming and accessible to all visitors.”
Clos-o-Mat is Britain’s leading provider of disabled toilet solutions, at home and away. Uniquely, the company can provide an in-house, ‘one- stop-shop’ complete package for ‘away from home’ assisted accessible toilet facilities, from design and commissioning, through to project management, supply and installation, and can also provide subsequent maintenance and repair. Its website www.clos-o-mat.com is the most comprehensive resource available about Changing Places for campaigners, providers and specifiers alike, with a raft of support information including white papers, calling cards, CAD blocks, video and case studies.