We are thrilled to announce that the Department for Transport’s Strategy includes a commitment to provide £2 million for the purpose of getting more Changing Places toilets installed at motorway service stations in England. We have had a number of meetings with the Department for Transport over the last few months and know that this decision has been influenced by the large number of consultation submissions they received which highlighted the challenges people experience due to a lack of Changing Places toilets at transport hubs.

The Department have also made reference to the huge support for Zack Kerr’s petition which called for improved Changing Places toilet provision at motorway services.

Changing Places campaigners and the Consortium have been fighting for a long time to get Changing Places toilets installed at motorway services. Whilst there has been positive progress over the last few years there is still a long way to go. Across the UK, there are currently just 18 registered Changing Places toilets (15 of which are in England) across a network of over 100 service stations. This isn’t good enough.

This money from the Department for Transport would mean that over ¼ million people with severe disabilities and their families will be able to travel easily and comfortably on the road network, safe in the knowledge that they can access toilets that meet their needs.

They will be speaking with the Department for Transport soon and look forward to sharing more information about how this investment will work in practice.  The Inclusive Transport Strategy also includes a £300 million investment in making railway stations more accessible, compensation for disabled passengers if booked assistance is not provided, and a league table of the best-performing companies.

Thank you to all the campaigners who have worked so hard to make the case for Changing Places toilets at transport hubs. There is still a long way to go until we can say public transport is accessible for all but this commitment and investment is a step in the right direction.

Where to go, when you need to go ?
A national campaign mobilising local business to make their loos accessible to the community they serve. We all need to use a loo or public restroom when we are out and about each day and it’s getting harder and harder to find a good clean toilet to get relief and allow us to enjoy the local neighbourhoods. With Local authorities really struggling to provide enough facilities, now many local businesses and store owners are keen join into a Community Toilet Scheme (CTS) to make sure that everyone can continue to enjoy local amenities and continue shopping.

We’re also encouraging many other public buildings including Libraries, Museums, Town and Village halls to join in the drive to reinvigorate the high streets and support local shops & traders.

You can sign your venue up to the Use Our Loos campaign by entering your details here:
https://goo.gl/forms/zsjmQpc8lyCdRt1k1

For more information contact Tara our Campaign Manager at: useourloos@gmail.com  or please call the BTA office 0044 (0) 2891 477 397

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW

The “Use Our Loos” campaign will do the following:

• Ask for public loos to be kept open and more loos in businesses to be made publicly available;
• Thank those who make the commitment to help through visible recognition, instant mapping and free product;
• Drive a connection with their local community and hopefully increase footfall to their businesses;
• Address ‘toilet stigma’ and aim to change the cultural context to appreciation and openness;
• Create the first national campaign to bring together the numerous, disparate Community Toilet Schemes, with singular signage and naming; and
• Ensure all these publicly accessible loos are discoverable at the right time for those in need by collaborating with the Great British Toilet mapping scheme

The British Toilet Association

The BTA along with Uniliver (Domestos Brand), Mumsnet, Gt British Toilet Map, NeonTribe and Edelman have joined forces to promote this National Campaign to record the locations of all publicly available loo’s throughout the UK. The site includes toilets provided by local authorities, private providers like Healthmatic and Danfo (UK) and for the first time we will be promoting those facilities provided by local shops/stores and businesses to help all types of users to find relief when travelling or shopping “away from home”

Unilever (Domestos)

Domestos believes that a clean, safe toilet should be within everyone’s reach. That is why it is tackling the demise of the UK public toilet and making it accessible once more. Just as Domestos has been doing, in many underdeveloped countries, in partnership with UNICEF for over four years waging the war on poor sanitation, because everyone deserves a clean toilet.

The Gt British Public Toilet Map

Businesses are rewarded for you doing your business. Fame and visibility from free publicity and hopefully increased turnover from increased footfall. Feeling the added benefit of  a warm feeling that they are helping people live their lives to the fullest.

USE OUR LOOS is the first national scheme that unlocks the loos that are hidden in our coffee shops, cafés, restaurants and bars. And gives them back to the community.

Great British Public Toilet Map will eventually provide the most accurate and up-to-date map of publicly available loos in the UK, powered by NeonTribe