Project to install vital Changing Places facilities in Arun now complete
The grant-funded project to install six Changing Places Toilets across the district is now complete - with an additional two planned for this year.
Changing Places toilets (CPTs) are larger accessible toilets for disabled people, with equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers. Without these life-changing facilities, the disabled people who rely on them often face the stark choice of being changed on a toilet floor or staying at home.
The new facilities can be found at Arun Leisure Centre in Felpham, The Wave in Littlehampton, Arundel Wetland Centre and Crown Yard car park in Arundel, Hotham Park in Bognor Regis and The Street in Rustington.
Another is being built at Coastguards toilets as part of the Littlehampton Seafront Scheme and the final CPT is planned as part of the Alexandra Theatre renovation in Bognor Regis.
The project to install the much-needed facilities was delivered using £227,000 government grant funding, plus contributions from Arun District Council, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), and Rustington Parish Council. Prior to this investment, the only Changing Places toilet locally was at The Aldingbourne Country Centre near Chichester.
Councillor Sue Wallsgrove, Chair of the Environment Committee at Arun District Council, said:
We are delighted to see this project completed with all six facilities now open and being regularly used. The daily reality for thousands of disabled people and their families is facing the indignity of being changed on the floor of a public toilet, so these facilities offer a solution. We've had some great feedback about how they're making a difference to the lives of the people who need them, which really demonstrates how vital this project was.
In addition, we are building two more CPT toilets as part of two exciting projects being delivered in the district - the Littlehampton Seafront Scheme and the transformation of the Alexandra Theatre in Bognor Regis. We recognise that having the facilities at these two key sites will allow disabled people and their families and carers more options when deciding where to visit.
After their CPT was fitted, Arundel Wetland Centre was reviewed by a member of EuansGuide.com, a website that aims to empower disabled people by providing information that will give confidence when out and about.
In the review, it was described as a 'perfect place to visit' WWT Arundel Wetland Centre - Disabled Access - Euan's Guide
To find out more about Changing Places toilets, or to locate a facility, visit www.changing-places.org