We’re celebrating six new Changing Places toilets in Cornwall for Changing Places Awareness Day

Friday 19 July is Changing Places Awareness Day and to celebrate, Cornwall now has five new Changing Places facilities available for use, with the final one in Wadebridge opening this month.

A Changing Places toilet is a larger, more accessible toilet for disabled people and their carers whose needs are not met by standard accessible toilets.

Working in partnership with town and parish councils, Cornwall Council has received government funding from as early as 2022 to deliver the new facilities and by the end of the month, all 6 will be open and used by the public.

Cllr Carol Mould, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “It is fantastic to see these high quality facilities now open and being used by residents. It means visiting Cornwall’s beautiful beaches, countryside and high streets is much more accessible for disabled people and their carers.

“I would like to thank everyone involved, town and parish councillors, ward members, contractors and council officers who have all helped to bring these plans to fruition, it really has made such a difference to the communities of Cornwall.”

The six new facilities are now open in:

• Falmouth (managed by Falmouth Borough Council)
• Truro, one near the bus station and the other in Boscawen Park (run by Truro City Council)
• Seaton (managed by Deviock Parish Council)
• St Ives (administered by St Ives Town Council)
• Wadebridge (managed by Wadebridge Town Council)

Local Deviock resident Katherine Kowalski recently spoke about what the facility has meant to her and her son: “Many people don’t realize that standard ‘accessible’ toilets are actually inaccessible to hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities, including the 12 years. one year old son.

“Without a changing toilet, this means having to change on toilet floors or in the back of a car. This is not only uncomfortable and unhygienic, but puts us all at risk of injury as there is no hoist for lifting. This makes the days incredibly difficult and we often end up avoiding going out altogether.

“Spending time in nature is essential for well-being, but there are still so few places where it is possible to do that if you or a family member needs a Changing Places facility. Seaton already offers so much with its flat Country Park trails, convenient parking and ramp access to the beach – a Changing Places toilet now makes it really accessible and I’d like to thank Deviock Parish Council for making this happen.”

Changing Places Awareness Day is an opportunity to help raise vital awareness of the life-changing difference Changing Places toilets make to the lives of people in the UK and around the world.

More information about what each facility offers, as well as other Changing Places locations in Cornwall can be found on the Changing Places map