'Life-changing' facilities open in town centre

Liz Owen and the mayor of St Neots, Richard Slade, at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Changing Places toilet

An accessibility campaigner has welcomed new "life-changing" public toilets that will make it possible for disabled visitors to spend more time in a town centre.

Liz Owen, who runs Access in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, had spent three years campaigning for a Changing Places facility.

It has now been installed in the Riverside Park car park and includes accessible unisex toilet facilities and a changing room fitted with extra equipment that people can use in safety and comfort.

Ms Owen also praised a recent move for a Changing Places toilet to be installed at Peterborough Cathedral.

The new Changing Space was one of 26 community projects across Cambridgeshire awarded funding in March by the county council

A £40,000 grant from Cambridgeshire County Council's priorities capital fund contributed to the refurbishment of the existing toilets in Riverside Park and the addition of a Changing Places facility. The project was also in partnership with Huntingdonshire District Council and St Neots Town Council.

Changing Places is a consortium and campaign group that aims to improve accessible toilet facilities in the UK.

Prior to the latest installation, Ms Owen told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire she had heard a lot of "horror stories" from people with disabilities who had to abandon their days out in St Neots because there were no accessible toilet facilities.

One mother said her son had to lie on the cold, wet floor of a bathroom as she struggled to lift him.

"How is this even allowed to happen in this day and age," Ms Owen said.

"They [Changing Places] are needed in the whole country, but you need money and council backing, so it is not easy.

"We now [in St Neots] have somewhere for people to go. It's massively life-changing for many who can now go out for the day to the park or town centre and not have to worry about having to go home."

'Inclusivity'

Alex Bulat, vice-chairperson of Cambridgeshire County Council’s communities, social mobility and inclusion committee, said: “These toilets will allow disabled residents and visitors to St Neots to participate more confidently and comfortably in the life of the town.”

Mayor of St Neots, Richard Slade, said it was "another step towards inclusivity in our town". And hoped it would set a precedent for other councils in surrounding areas.

The project was a partnership between Cambridgeshire County Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, and St Neots Town Council