Summer Campaign News

 

Families, individual campaigners, our sponsors Aveso and organisations connected to the Changing Places campaign have made this year such a success so far with recent installations including the Arbroath Harbour Visitor Centre, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and Kendal Leisure Centre in Cumbria.

 

There is so much happening and we wanted to share a few news stories from across the UK that have especially inspired us……..

The first Changing Places public toilet in Whitstable was opened by the city council at the harbour on Friday 14 August. 

It was opened by the manager and founder of the Special Needs Advisory and Activities Project (SNAAP) for Canterbury district, and our wonderful Changing Places campaigner Caroline Mumford. Caroline has been working so hard on the campaign. There are wonderful photos of the opening on Caroline’s twitter timeline @carolinemumfor1 More information at the link here

 

A huge thank you to Changing Places campaigner Alison Beevers for her continuing work involving Bassetlaw District Council, local hospitals and Drayton Manor Theme Park in Staffordshire. Alison’s positive approach to campaigning has meant that potential providers of Changing Places are exploring options for new Changing Places facilities in the area. You can keep in touch with Alison on twitter @alison_beevers More information about Alison’s campaigning here

 

One of the best ways to keep in touch and involved with Changing Places campaigning across the UK is by following the latest news on the UK Changing Places facebook community page. A huge thank you to Sarah Mitchell who facilitates the page and keeps thousands of campaigners up to date with the world of Changing Places. You can get involved here

 

Congratulations to all involved in the official opening of the Changing Places toilet at Arbroath harbour. Last year Grant Speed and his friends cycled from Leeds to Arbroath to raise awareness and money for this fully accessible toilet. Following on from the cycle, Angus Council agreed to fund the remaining costs and install the toilet.  This Changing Places toilet is a great example of how effective partnership working can be to bring about improvements in the community for the lives of people with complex disabilities.  

Other Changing Places toilets that have been registered in Scotland recently include; The Usual Place, a community cafe in Dumfries; Forth Valley Royal Hospital;and The Centre, Livingstone (shopping centre). Full newsletter here

 

Staff members working on the Changing Places campaign will be joining the Mencap dodgeball team “Metalliball” at this year’s Team Dodgeball Championships in September. The 2014 tournament we saw over 800 people ducking, dipping, dodging, diving and donating much needed funds for people with a learning disability. Join us at Finsbury Park Baseball and Softball Field. More information here

Finally, we continue to work closely with our sponsors Aveso and have two meetings later in the year with organisations and campaigners to make sure we are working the best way we can to get as many Changing Places installed across the country as possible!

 

Thanks again to everyone involved in the campaign. Please keep sending us your latest stories and we will highlight them in forthcoming updates.