I Want To Play Too…

I’m Lorna, mum to E (12) and T (8). E is a child who loves to feel the wind in her hair, and splashing in water. She also happens to have a rare genetic condition which means that she is a wheelchair user; and she has severe learning disabilities. My son is a typical 8 year old. 

Over the years we have found that when we visit play parks my son will have a fabulous time. He will go off and run to the swings and the slide, if he could he’d be in the park for hours at a time. 

For my daughter, the park couldn’t be more different. We scan the park to see if there’s anything that she can play on. If we’re lucky there might be a wheelchair accessible roundabout, but after about 10 minutes the initial joy of play wears off, and there’s nothing else for her to do…

Often there is no wheelchair accessible roundabout, and my heart sinks, we have to look to see what we can adapt. I spot a basket swing, I physically lift her into her it, and her face breaks into a smile. I know that if she didn’t have her learning disabilities, she might be here with her friends and they would not be able to lift her so that she could play too. She would be an observer, and what child wants to sit and watch other children play?

I know our story is one that is repeated across the country. So many disabled children who have little to no play opportunities in their own local playparks. This needs to change, disabled children and their siblings need to be able to play too. That’s why I’m supporting Scopes campaign for an accessible playground fund. I’m asking will you support it too, please sign their open letter. Disabled kids want to play too. Let’s play fair.

Boris, Please Don’t End Covid Restrictions Yet…

It’s been nearly 2 years since I took my now 11 year old disabled daughter out of school, just before lockdown 1. We could see the pandemic coming and knowing how my daughter might be at more risk if she caught covid, I wanted to keep her safe as the first wave of the pandemic rolled in.

We have been kind of shielding ever since, we do go out to outdoor places, we just haven’t been meeting with friends and family like we used to. We’ve used the numbers on the BBC dashboard about number of cases/hospitalisations to make our own risk assessments about what is safe and what isn’t.

We’ve watched as the adult population of those deemed clinically extremely vulnerable, got their vaccines. We carried on doing our thing. We watched as the 12-15 year olds got offered their vaccines. We carried on doing our thing.

Last week, we finally received a letter from the NHS Covid-19 Vaccination programme. The joint committee on Vaccination and Immunisation: “has decided to offer the vaccine to young children in the at-risk group because they are more likely to suffer more serious symptoms from Covid-19.”

You need to wait for another letter to book an appointment for her first dose. She will need 2 doses of the vaccine, with a minimum gap of 8 weeks between doses.

A light at the end of the tunnel. But then I read in the news that Boris Johnson was planning to possibly lift covid restrictions early. That he would potentially lift the need for those suffering with covid to self isolate. This could be before our clinically extremely vulnerable kids can get fully protected.

Now, this isn’t such a great issue for us. We have had a letter covering us and allowing my daughter to shield throughout. Many of the kids, who have now been offered a vaccine though, have been back in school since after the first lockdown, because their families were told that there was no reason for them to shield, but these kids now have a letter stating that they are at risk of serious symptoms. Some of these kids, will be in school because their families have had to prioritise their children’s mental health over their physical health and their child needs the stability of school. But soon these children could be sat in school next to a child with covid symptoms, who is no longer required to isolate, and their health could be seriously compromised.

You have a duty of care, Boris, just hold off abandoning the covid isolation rules, at the very least until this group of children who have now been told that they are at risk of serious symptoms from Covid, can be fully vaccinated.

Changing Places Toilets – Letter Template

Changing Places toilets have a hoist and adult changing bench as well as a loo. The problem we have is that there are still simply not enough of these facilities in the UK. Whilst building regulations have changed to make Changing Places toilets mandatory in larger public buildings as they are built (in Scotland and England), there are many tourist attractions, hospitals, places of education & more, that do not have a single Changing Places toilet facility.

Photo shows an example of a Changing Places toilet facility. It has a toilet, privacy screen and adult changing bench to the left of the picture, and a hoist and sink to the right.

We need this to change. To enable change to happen we need people to contact these places with their own experiences. I have written a couple of letter templates which you can find below to make that process easier for you, all you have to do is copy and paste and insert your own personal experiences (if applicable). If you haven’t already please also sign this petition calling for Changing Places to be made mandatory in larger public buildings, the campaign and petition will not end until there are Changing Places toilets in all our local communities, no matter which part of the UK you live.

LETTER TEMPLATE – EXISTING PUBLIC PLACES WITH NO CHANGING PLACES FACILITY

Dear….

We have visited/would like to visit but we have realised that you do not have a Changing Places toilet facility. Changing Places toilets have a hoist, adult changing bench and toilet, and they enable many disabled people to be toileted with dignity.

*Insert own experiences here if applicable*

Without Changing Places toilet facilities disabled children end up having to be changed on public toilet floors or in the back of cars. Disabled teenagers and adults become too heavy to be physically lifted safely and therefore either have to sit in their own body fluids for prolonged periods of time, or have to limit drinks to avoid going to the loo or have to cut short their visit to go elsewhere where they have these facilities.

I am sure that you would not wish for any of this to happen to you or a loved one, so please install a Changing Places toilet facility, so that all of your customers/visitors can be toileted with dignity. I would appreciate an emailed or written response.

Yours faithfully

ADAPT THE TEMPLATE FOR RENOVATIONS AT THE PLANNING STAGE WITH NO PLANNED CHANGING PLACES TOILET FACILITY

Just to add if you hear of a larger public building being renovated and they still haven’t included a Changing Places toilet, please raise an objection. Use the above letter to make a start and look also to include the following paragraph if the building is in England, Scotland or Wales, amending as necessary (authority for local authorities or councils, business where it is a business involved).

In following the “guidance and direction” in Part M of the Building Regulations and best practice BS8300 and being mindful of the authorities/businesses responsibility under the Equality Act then developments where there is public access such as major leisure facilities, large shopping centre’s, transport hubs, and other large buildings where the public have access should have a Changing Places toilet  in addition to a standard accessible toilet;

Hope this is all useful, let me know how you get on!

Disabled Children Want To Play Too – Letter Template

Disabled children face many barriers to inclusion in our built environment, play areas and playgrounds are no exception to this. I have been working with my local council to try and ensure that inclusive play equipment is included in our local parks as they are being built or renovated. I’ve produced a letter template for you to approach your own local authority and ask them to do the same.

Because every disabled child may face different challenges, I would urge you to personalise this and outline the challenges that you and your family face when going out to local play parks. Below, is what I included in my proposal to my own local authority, please adapt to your own needs. You will need to copy and paste the link to the inclusive playgrounds guidelines in your emails, I’ve linked it in the template below. These guidelines are worth a read as they consider different types of disability, not just wheelchair users.

To Whom it may concern

My daughter has severe physical and learning disabilities and relies on a wheelchair for her mobility needs. We also have a non-disabled son. When we go to local parks it is very rare that my son and daughter can play alongside one another, or that there is enough to keep my daughter engaged for the length of time that my son wants to play. Although parks may be described as wheelchair accessible this still often does not mean that it is inclusive. It often means that my daughter can only sit and watch my son play and this is not fair on any child.

I am therefore asking the council to ensure disabled children are given opportunities to play as parks are being built or renovated. In order to fulfil the local authorities obligations under the Equality Act (2010), park and playground developments must have at least one roll on/roll off piece of wheelchair play equipment and the park/playground must attain the standards set out in the Plan Inclusive Playground Area Guidelines, thus ensuring that every child has opportunities to play regardless of disability. Please make this happen. Disabled children want to play too.

Yours sincerely

Cancer Screening Saves Lives (But only if you are able to access it…)

Every year there is a big push for ladies to have their cervical screening done. However, we have found that for some disabled people, cancer screening or any simple examination at a GP surgery can be totally inaccessible, or can even be denied…

A year or so back, I found out that a couple of my campaigning friends were struggling to access cervical screening services. Because they are wheelchair users who are unable to transfer independently they were unable to access the services in their area, as they needed to be hoisted to the examination table in order for the necessary screening to take place. Fi has never been able to get cervical screening done, you can read her account here. Kerry faced significant delays in screening despite abnormal cells being found on a previous test, you can read her account here. On a personal level I have a daughter who has significant physical and learning disabilities, I want her to be able to access healthcare in the future, at a level that she should expect if she were able-bodied and with no learning disabilities.

The struggles for disabled ladies getting screening done was backed up by a report by Jo’s Trust which found that a staggering 63% of ladies were unable to get cervical screening done due to their disabilities.

Determined to try and do something about this in my local area, I went armed with facts and figures to a local health meeting. I’d done Facebook polls to see if it was an issue locally, and it most certainly was, I also had comments to back up my very small local data. This meeting resulted in a more comprehensive questionnaire, focusing on cervical screening, being undertaken by my local Healthwatch, the results are now out. What this found was that it is more than a simple lack of hoists in GP surgeries that are contributing to poor access to screening for disabled people but also poor communication, and assumptions being made about the sex lives of disabled ladies. You can find the full report here... But some quick facts below.

None of our local GPs in the North Lincolnshire area have a hoist facility*

None of our local GPs in the North Lincolnshire region have a hoist facility*. This has massive implications for any disabled person who is unable to mobilise independently from a wheelchair to an examination table. It means that any intimate examination is difficult or impossible and has implications for prostrate screening, rectal examinations, pressure sore checks, midwifery checks and a myriad of other examinations as well as the cervical screening that the Healthwatch report focused on.

Another comment made was that a family member had to help with the transfer of one disabled lady, but family members and staff should not be put into this position. I know from my own experiences, as a former nurse that transferring or physically lifting someone without appropriate equipment puts ALL those involved with the transfer at potential risk of injury, as well as the person being physically lifted or transferred.

Of those who responded who had a physical disability, one third described that their disability had affected their ability to attend cervical screening appointments.

22% of the women questioned did not understand why they were invited to attend cervical screening.*

The report also focused on ladies who identified as having learning disabilities. Some of these ladies struggled to understand the cervical screening invitations that were sent out as these were not provided in an easy read format. Perhaps, more disturbing was that some women were having cervical screening done without understanding what the test was for. This to me indicates a clear lack of informed consent – these ladies were able to answer questions for the report so it is possible, that given time, and information in a manner and form suitable to their needs would have enabled them to make an informed decision about whether or not they wanted to undergo the screening..

Some GPs ceased sending out cervical screening invitations to some disabled ladies.

Information from the focus groups was that some GPs were taking disabled ladies off the cervical screening invitation list based on assumptions as to whether they were sexually active or not – without clarifying whether or not this was the case with the ladies themselves. It’s fair to say making assumptions like this, and removing women from the cervical screening recall list could potentially cost a woman her life.

What does all this mean?

The report completed by North Lincolnshire Healthwatch provides a snapshot of how inaccessible healthcare can be for all disabled people. The lack of hoists is definitely not just a local issue but is likely to be a national one, given the blogs I linked in the second paragraph. This has implications for both disabled women and men, who require any intimate examination. The sooner cancers can be caught, the sooner they can be treated.  Any delays in cancer screening, can result in progression of cancer, potentially more invasive treatment required or a resulting terminal diagnosis in someone who may have been at a more treatable stage if caught earlier. Doctors must not be allowed to take disabled people off recall lists based on their own assumptions, this should at the very least be checked with the disabled person or their family/next of kin first. Lastly, all communication must be provided to people in a manner and form that they can understand, there is enough easy read information out there to make this possible.

So, what happens now…

Local health services have responded to the report, you can find their responses here. I don’t believe that the responses go far enough to tackle the issue. As far as I am aware, there remain no hoists in GP surgeries in the region. Alternative ideas such as doing cervical screening at home have been ruled out by the CCG as they say appropriate clinical standards can not be maintained in the home environment.

I have therefore contacted my local MP to try and get the issue raised in Parliament as this is a public health matter that needs responding to with urgency as disabled people are not getting examinations in a timely manner. I have also contacted NHS England & the Department of Health directly to get a response from them. I will continue to push to get services improved on a local as well as a national level.

What you can do to improve services in your local area, and nationally.

Sign the petition started by Fi Anderson by clicking this link

Write to your MP, you can use this template and add your own experiences.

If you are having issues in your local area then contact your local PALS and Healthwatch and let them know.

*All figures taken from North Lincolnshire Healthwatch report completed in March 2020.

NHS Changing Places Template

According to Government figures, fewer than 40 hospitals in England have a registered Changing Place facility. The reality of this situation is that disabled children, teenagers and adults have no safe toilet to use when attending hospital appointments or when visiting friends and family in hospitals.

Disabled people, and their carers, are being put at risk, due to manual moving and handling techniques being used without appropriate equipment. Disabled people are being put at risk of pressure ulcers due to being sat in soiled pads for prolonged periods of time. All of this while in a hospital setting, in outpatient departments, clinic departments and for anyone just wanting to visit their loved ones.

The Department of Health in England have made available 2 million pounds to provide Changing Places toilets in acute hospital settings. Hospital Trusts do need to apply.

Below is a template to use, in order to request that your local hospital provides a Changing Places toilet facility. Please feel free to copy and paste, but please do add in what your personal experiences have been, as it proves the case as to why these facilities are so desperately needed. You will need to send it to the complaints (PALS) department at your hospital trust.

Thank you, good luck!

TEMPLATE LETTER

Dear Sir/Madam
When I/we attend hospital appointments or visit family and friends on your wards, I/we have a problem because there is no suitable toilet facility to use. I/We require a Changing Place toilet facility, which has an adult changing bench, hoist and loo.

In the past I/we have had to [ insert your own experience here ]

Recently, the Government made funding available specifically to provide Changing Places toilet facilities in acute NHS hospitals in England. You can find the application pack here.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changing-places-toilets-in-nhs-hospitals-apply-for-funding

Please apply and provide a toilet facility that means that disabled people can  have their toileting needs met in a safe, timely, dignified and humane manner.

Yours faithfully

A Day At York Railway Museum

T is transport mad. Trains, planes, automobiles, these are the things that make his world a happy place. So when he asked to go to York Railway Museum, and the weather was looking decidedly dodgy as Storm Gareth was still in full swing, we jumped at the opportunity. We visit this place at least once a year anyway, and will hopefully continue to do so in future years..

On arrival we were able to park in the disabled parking bays right next to the main entrance.  We made our way in and were given a timetable of events. Entry is free. Our first port of call was to see the train turntable being demonstrated. T loves this, to the extent that when we brought him here to see Tim Peakes spacecraft a year or so back, he had a bit of a wobble as he couldn’t watch a train being turned in a circle, as the spacecraft was there in it’s place… It is an impressive bit of kit, worth the watch. This was in the Great Hall, where all the huge engines are kept including T’s favourite The Mallard, the fastest ever steam train. Also in this area there is ramped wheelchair access into the Bullet Train, an accessible viewpoint of a model railway, and what looks to be a new lift into the ambulance train exhibit.

We spent our time today though flitting between the Great Hall and the Station Hall. This was a slight pain as to get between both you have to go through an underpass which means 2 lifts within a very short distance of each other. I did notice that they have signs stating that they are raising funds to get rid of this underpass area altogether. Wheelchair access around the Halls is good.

We had dinner at the restaurant in the station hall. T had a picnic lunch, we fed E her own meal and myself and Col had food from the menu which was rather nice. There was wheelchair priority seating in this area, it was full on both occasions we used it (I didn’t see any of the said users, in a wheelchair).

After dinner we went to the learning workshop, where we were shown how trains have got faster over the years and what the future may hold. T enjoyed this, with it’s practical demonstrations, E was more intent on spending time rolling about on the floor (she does get fed up of sitting in her wheelchair at times, particularly when we stop!).

Next was the minature railway, this is not wheelchair accessible, we carried E on, and the volunteers took the wheelchair to the exit so that we could get her straight back into her chair at the end.

E now needed changing. There is no Changing Place toilet facility, with loo, adult changing bench & hoist, at the Railway Museum.  I have contacted them previously in 2015 and 2016 to explain the importance of Changing Places toilet facilities as 1 in 260 people NEED these facilities to have their toileting needs met (more info here). Previously we have made do with the baby change facility, E is now 9 we can’t do that so much anymore even though she is is  small for her age. We asked reception staff where we could go, we were directed to the baby change, when I explained that E was 9 and that wasn’t a suitable option they were rather confused as to what to do.

In one of responses to my previous emails I had been told that we could use the first aid room, so I asked for us to be allowed to do this. The first aid room does have a bench where I changed E, there obviously was no hoist or toilet so I know that this will be of no use to many Changing Places users, but I’m including the information as I know there will be some who can make use of this, as we did. I will however be sending another email with feedback.

There are several standard accessible toilets throughout the museum.

After E was sorted, we went to the play area in the Great Hall. T loved playing with the trains, there was very little for E to engage with, we did find some buttons that when pressed made train noises, these were not at a great height for wheelchair users though and she had to bend low to access them, this was similar for all the activities in this area. Developmentally, physically and cognitively E is not yet at a stage where she could have managed any of the other “hands on” activities around the museum. Currently there is no outdoor play area, I believe there are plans to provide one, I do hope that they take into account that children who use wheelchairs will want to play too!

We decided to go upstairs to the train viewing platform, but after making our way through the collections gallery we found that the lift was not working in this area. If we were somewhere we were not likely to visit again we would have attempted carrying E up and around. I know we will be back here at some point so on this occasion we split up. Col took T to look round upstairs. Myself and E looked around the many artefacts in the collection gallery, and as I’d saved my strength I then took her and carried her over the railway bridge over the Mallard, and then into the wheelchair inaccessible Mallard Experience, which is a train simulator which gave her the giggles. While we still can, we will…

We finally met up, fed E her tea and then back to the car via the museum shop. I know we will be back, and if I continue to send emails then maybe they will finally get the message about the urgent need for a Changing Place facility, as well as prompt them to provide some accessible play!

About us

This is a personal, unpaid review, of our day at the National Railway Museum. E my daughter is a full-time wheelchair user with severe learning disabilities, she is non-verbal. I blog about our experiences in the hope that it raises disability awareness, and will help to improve inclusion for those who follow behind us. An inclusive world is a better world.

Why We Need A Revo-loo-tion…

We reached the end of the summer holidays. We visited new places, fighting to see as many tourist attractions as possible before the inevitable occurs, and my daughter’s world shrinks completely forever.

My daughter is nine-years-old, she should have everything to live for, the world should be opening up for her – but because she is disabled the complete opposite is happening and all because of a lack of appropriate toilet facilities in the places we visit.

My daughter is unable to use a standard accessible loo, she needs Changing Places toilets, that include an adult changing bench and hoist, as she is unable to transfer independently from her wheelchair, and she has learning disabilities that mean there’s a possibility that she will never be toilet trained. At the time of writing this, there are only 1,356 registered Changing Places loos in the UK, which may sound a lot, but to put that in perspective there are over 2,500 toilets in Wembley Stadium alone. There are towns and cities around the UK without a single public toilet facility that my daughter can use, when out and about in the community.

At the moment, I am still changing my disabled nine-year-old daughter on baby change facilities. Physically lifting her out of her wheelchair, onto a surface that I pray will hold her weight without breaking. One day I know that even the baby change will no longer be an option. What to do then? Will I have to change her on a toilet floor, or in the back of the car? What happens if my back goes? What if I drop her? Why are these the only options, in the 21st Century, in a so-called civilised country?

Because this is not simply a case of being able to pick and choose where we can go. Our hospital does not have a Changing Place facility, yet we have to attend appointments. And if we limited where we went to, to where Changing Places toilet facilities are available, then life would be very, very limited indeed.

So looking into my daughter’s future, at some point we will have some tough decisions to make… Will my teenage girl have to have a urinary catheter with all the health risks associated with it, or will she instead have to sit in a soiled pad putting her at risk of pressure sores. How the heck are we supposed to deal with menstrual flow, when I can no longer lift her in order to change her sanitary products.

This is not simply a problem for my daughter. There are at least a quarter of a million disabled people in the UK, and their carers, who rely on Changing Places toilets to have their toileting needs met and who are not provided for, even in new large public buildings. Social, educational, health and cultural options restricted by the lack of appropriate loos. Disabled people regularly being denied freedom of choice and dignity.

We need a revo-loo-tion, we need Changing Places to be compulsory in public buildings as they are being built or renovated, you can help to support this by signing this petition. We need outdoor public events to hire mobile Changing Places facilities, such as the Mobiloo. No child should have to face these options as they grow. No parent should have to make these decisions on behalf of their child. No disabled child, teenager or adult should be denied basic dignity. We all need to pee.

We’re Going On A Bug Hunt…

We’re Going on A Bug Hunt
We’re Going to Catch A Big One…
It’s A Beautiful Day!
We’re Not Scared…

OK we didn’t catch a big one, but it was a beautiful day, as we headed out to Waters Edge Country Park in Barton on Humber. They were having an event day, a wildlife day, with lots of activities for the kids to participate in and stalls to look around. We arrived at 11am which was just too late for us to join the morning sessions, so we had a quick look around the RSPB and Wildlife Trust stalls before sitting down and having a lovely dinner at the cafe. We booked onto a couple of the afternoon activities, pond dipping and bug hunting – both of which will count towards our RSPB Wild Challenge.

Back on out to take a look at the stalls. T took a great interest in the giant tortoises which was one of the exhibits and spent a good 20 minutes or so in their enclosure. E, on the other hand was very taken with a couple of bee ladies who had lots of sensory bee props and spent a good amount of their time engaging with her (thank you, ladies!).

Time for a quick icecream for T and then it was time to meet up with the bug hunt. We were given clipboards, pencils and nets and followed the leader to seek out bugs and beasties. Waters Edge is a nature reserve so it wasn’t long before we were spotting flies, bees and wasps. We found a ladybird in my hair rather than in the wilderness! Dragonflies were spotted and someone even found a toad! The latter was placed into an examination jar so even E could get a good look at it!

Bug spotting and ticking them off on our checklist…

Back to the centre and another quick look around before it was time to join the pond dipping activity. Here the children took it in turns to have a fishing net and to empty the contents into a collection tray to view the various water bugs. Here there was a slope down to the pond, so E couldn’t have done the actual fishing bit, the trays were on higher ground so it was possible for her to see the wildlife scuttling about (we daren’t let her get too close after a past adventure which nearly resulted in her putting a frog in her mouth which has gone into family folklore…). There were water beetles, small fish and even a small newt. All the children were engaged with the activity and it was T’s favourite part of the day.

A little more about Waters Edge, as previously mentioned it is a nature reserve which has ponds and woodland areas. The paths around it are fully wheelchair accessible. They have a Changing Places toilet, with adult changing bench and hoist. The centre is run on green energy, even the Changing Places loo is run on solar power generated electricity and recycled water flushes the system. There is a cafe and a small gift shop. There are fabulous views of the Humber Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the UK, which is located right next to the centre. The centre runs various events over the year as well as craft activities, click here for more details. Worth a visit.

Having a Changing Places loo meant we could stay all day and meant my disabled daughters toileting needs were met with dignity.

 

If you’d like to support the campaign for more Changing Places facilities, please sign and share our petition

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside…

Gorgeous morning, blue skies, this neverending summer continuing the way it started and we’re just at the start of the summer holidays…

Bags packed, pack up sorted. Into the car, and over the River Humber we head.

Are we nearly there yet, the constant refrain from the back. But then yes we are. Today we’re at Bridlington. Down to the Park & Ride, and we spot our first Changing Places loo. then it’s a quick ride to the centre of town.

I fed E her dinner while Col fetched the rest of us fish and chips (possibly the best ones I’ve tasted this year)… And then I changed E in the second Changing Places loo of the day.

Changing Places toilet, Bridlington, near the harbour.

Down to South beach, thwarted in the first attempt to get on the beach by the tide, (but would have been an excellent place for us to try crabbing…) We found another ramp and away we went. Col pushed E in her offroad buggy which he reckons was easier than her normal wheelchair. We reached the sea, got E out to dip her toes in the sea (we’d love to sit her in the sea but she would just drink the seawater…). T running in and out, jumping and splashing around. We took a steady walk along the beach and back to the promenade. We quickly found a paddling pool. Not wheelchair friendly as there was a step down, but we took E out of her buggy and she sat on the edge and splashed with her hands and feet. T just got absolutely soaked and ended up wearing one of E’s tops for the rest of the day…

Another walk, we found beach wheelchairs to hire, as well as a 3rd Changing Places toilet. On we continued,as a boatride was in our sights. This was definitely NOT wheelchair accessible, but while we can still carry E we shall carry on enjoying rides out on the sea. So we headed out  on the Yorkshire Belle, for a very pleasant journey, a much needed drink, and a chocolate bar each! T spotted the fairground from the boat, so as soon as we got back to dry land, that’s where he and Col headed, while I sat and fed E her tea. Then it was our turn to join them.

Onto the teacups, the swings and the cars. Giggles were had, prizes were won on the Hook A Duck. All within the walking distance of yet another Changing Places loo! It was time to head back, back onto the Park & Ride. Back to the car and then back home.

I want to thank Bridlington, who so far have got 4 registered Changing Place toilet facilities, I’m sure one of the ones we used or saw today was an unregistered facility. For those not in the know, Changing Places toilets include an adult changing bench, hoist & loo, there are many towns and cities without a single facility. Today we did not have to stress about where we would be able to get E changed as there was always a Changing Place toilet facility nearby, and that is how it should be everywhere we go… Massive thumbs up Bridlington! I hope others will read this and follow your lead…

If you’d like to see more Changing Places toilets then please do sign and share our petition, everyone regardless of ability deserves dignity.