Changing Places toilet installed to make a park in Leicestershire more accessible

A new Changing Places facility has been installed at a South Leicestershire park to make the public toilets more accessible for disabled people.

Improvements to the block in Welland Park, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, have been made by Harborough District Council, which invested £47,000 into the £235,000 project. Money from developers made up £100,000 of the funding, while the remaining £88,000 was provided by disability charity Changing Places UK.

Changing Places UK campaigns to increase the accessibility of toilets in public venues and to ensure everyone can use them in safety and comfort. It has helped install specialist toilets in several locations across the country to cater for over a quarter of a million people in the UK that need Changing Places toilets to enable them to get out and about and enjoy the day-to-day activities.

The Welland Park toilet is the first Changing Places toilet in the district. Features include a height-adjustable changing table and associated hoist, non-slip flooring, reduced ceiling height, privacy screens, and generous manoeuvring space to accommodate for wheelchair users.

Councillor Jonathan Bateman, Harborough District Council’s Cabinet Lead for Open Spaces, said: “We are pleased to be able to deliver toilets for the community that are practical, sustainable and environmentally friendly. This project shows we are continuing to improve inclusivity and accessibility for everyone in the Harborough district.”

The park toilets have been closed for renovations since November last year. It also features spacious baby changing rooms in both the male and female toilets.

The council added that it was exploring the possibility of securing further Changing Places funding for similar facilities to be added in other locations across the district.

An accessible toilet facility was recently installed at event venue the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.