Leeds Market gets stoma-friendly toilets after campaign

Lyn Morgan said there was nowhere for her to change her stoma bag when she visited Leeds Kirkgate Market

Leeds market has installed "stoma-friendly" toilets after a campaign by a woman who was upset by the lack of facilities in the city centre.

Lyn Morgan was fitted with a stoma in 2021 but struggled to manage it while out shopping in the city centre.

A stoma connects to the digestive or urinary system and allows waste to be diverted from the body and into a bag.

Leeds council has now made sure toilets in Kirkgate Market have a shelf and mirror to help those with stomas.

The shelf is to make sure there is somewhere to place a change of bag and the mirror to help people see what they are doing.

The toilets now feature a shelf and special mirror so people can change their stoma bags

Ms Morgan, a great-grandmother, began her campaign in the summer, and pledged to make the city "stoma-friendly".

She said: "The reason I started the campaign along with Colostomy UK is because there were absolutely no facilities for anyone to be able to change a stoma bag.

"The first time I went out after I had my surgery, I went with my friend into Leeds Market and I knew I needed to change my stoma bag.

"I went to the toilet and there was absolutely nothing there to be able to change a bag, no shelf, no hooks, no mirror. Nowhere to put a thing, not even a bin."

Ms Morgan added that most disabled toilets were not suitable for people with a stoma.

Leeds City Council said it had taken advice from the charity Colostomy UK and said the authority had responded to Ms Morgan's plea at the meeting.

"Officers looked at the issue and it has now been addressed with facilities being provided in October," a spokesperson said.

"We'd like to thank Lyn for raising this issue and for working with us and other stakeholders to ensure venues not just in the city centre but across Leeds are as welcoming and inclusive as possible for everyone to visit and enjoy, in keeping with the council's values."