New Changing Places website launched on Changing Places Awareness Day!

Today, on Changing Places Awareness Day, we’re delighted to share the exciting news of a brand new Changing Places website. 

Held annually on July 19, Changing Places Awareness Day is an opportunity to celebrate all the campaign has achieved so far thanks to the dedicated support of our incredible campaigners. 

Changing Places toilets have more room than a standard accessible toilet, with specialist equipment such as an adult-sized changing bench and a hoist system.

Without access to these toilets, more than a quarter of a million people may not go out, will limit fluid intake, or will have to be changed on a toilet floor.

The new Changing Places website has undergone a number of updates and can be visited here: https://www.changing-places.org/

New features include:

• A refreshed Changing Places toilet map where users can search by venue, size of toilet, and a route planner
• An inclusive online experience using Recite Me technology so website visitors can use accessibility and language support tools to customise their digital experience
• Continual carousel of current news and trends on the home page

The development of the new Changing Places website and map was generously supported with funding from the True Colours Trust. We are incredibly grateful for their kind contribution to the Changing Places campaign.

Website designers Velocity 42 said: “We are thrilled to have integrated the Changing Places website and toilet map into a single, unified system. This integration allows both systems to share in the new and improved digital accessibly upgrades being made. This ultimately means more people will have easier access to the crucial information they require.”

What have we achieved over the past year?

As Co-Chairs of the Changing Places Consortium, we worked closely with the MHCLG to advise and support the roll-out of a £30m fund to install Changing Places toilets in existing buildings across England. More information on this will be shared very soon. 

We launched a landmark Changing Places survey to hear from users in England about where these toilets are most-needed. 

We supported Tesco when they installed their 100th Changing Places toilet, marking a three-year long partnership with the supermarket.

We secured a prime-time slot on The One Show highlighting the need for more Changing Places toilets. 

While there are now 1620 Changing Places toilets across the UK, there is still vital work to be done. 

How can you take action?

Send a letter to your local newspaper editor asking them to raise awareness of the campaign

Download our Changing Places pledge card and tell us why Changing Places toilets matter to you- it would be great if you could share your pictures on the day using #CPAD2021

Take a photo using the #CPselfie kit and post online 

Share these venue statistics to show how different venue types are performing in terms of providing Changing Places toilets

Karen Hoe OBE, Changing Places Manager at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “We’re really excited to launch our brand new website this Changing Places Awareness Day and hope that people enjoy the new updates. Muscular Dystrophy UK remains indebted to our dedicated campaigners who have worked so hard over the past year to ensure that more Changing Places toilets are installed across the country. There are 250,000 people in the UK with severe disabilities who rely on Changing Places toilets to be able to use the bathroom both safely and with dignity. This is not a privilege – it’s a basic human right. We promise to continue campaigning and working with stakeholders so that more Changing Places toilets are installed.”