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| The Cornerstone, Sulyard Street, Lancaster |
Lancaster’s first publicly accessible Changing Places toilet facility is now fully open at the Cornerstone, just off Lancaster’s Dalton Square in Sulyard Street. Designed to enable people with severe disabilities to get out and about, anyone in the area who needs to can use it.
Opening times are Monday to Friday 10am – 3pm, telephone 846509. The full address is: The Cornerstone, Sulyard St, Lancaster, LA1 1PX,
http://www.thecornerstonelancaster.org.uk
Most of us don’t give visiting public buildings a second thought. But many disabled people are unable to take part in activities which others take for granted because standard accessible toilets don’t meet their needs or the needs of their carers. Imagine having to change your son, daughter or partner on the floor of a public toilet. Most of us would agree that this just isn’t acceptable. But it’s the reality for many family carers, who simply have no other choice.
It’s a good thing then, that Lancaster’s first publicly accessible Changing Places toilet facility is available at the Cornerstone, just off Lancaster’s Dalton Square in Sulyard Street. The new Changing Place, in the heart of the city, has been open since a major refurbishment of the old Methodist Church building was completed at the end of 2013.
Some of the features which make the new Changing Places toilet unique include the following: a changing bench which is height adjustable, adult sized & free standing; a hoist, which is ceiling tracked (on a loop system) and the toilet itself which is centrally placed with room either side for carers. There is also a privacy screen between toilet and bench.
Information on Lancaster Changing Place opening times & obtaining a key can be found at:
http://www.changing-places.org/ or by calling 01524 846509.
The fitting out of the Changing Places facility was aided by funding from Lancashire County Council’s Learning Disability Development Fund and The Charities Aid Foundation Access to Volunteering Fund.
Morecambe also has a Changing Place, situated next to the DanLo toilets in the Festival Market Car Park, LA4 4DW. You can get a key from the Visitor Information Centre at the Platform or from the Festival Market Office. This facility was opened thanks to funding from Lancashire County Council’s “Aiming High for Disabled Children” fund two years ago.
Information on Morecambe Changing Place opening times & obtaining a key can be found at:
http://www.changing-places.org or by calling Morecambe Visitor Information Centre on: 01524 58 28 08.
During Festival Market opening times, a key is held in the Festival Market office next to the Cafe – you can ring 01524 414251 for information about collecting the key on market days.
The Changing Places Consortium has been campaigning to improve accessible toilet facilities nationally through the installation of Changing Places toilets since 2006. Changing Places means changing lives. Sometimes you just need to change one thing to open up a world of possibility:
http://www.changing-places.org/about_us.aspx This link is useful for finding facilities in Britain & Northern Ireland – if you’re making travel plans or you want to find out how to support, or even start, a campaign.
03/14/mary kinane