Changing Places Case Study: Banham Zoo

Written by Pat McMahon
July 16, 2023

Connecting Everyone with Nature

As one of the leading family attractions in Norfolk, Banham Zoo is on a mission to become as accessible and inclusive as possible and connect a diverse audience with animals and nature.

Central to these plans is a new modular Changing Places toilet, which RISE recently installed thanks to Breckland Council facilitating a grant of £60,000 from Central Government’s Department for Levelling-up, Housing and Communities, in conjunction with Muscular Dystrophy UK.

Jandre Smuts, Head of Projects, Environment, Accessibility, Capex and Energy at the Zoological Society of East Anglia, commented on the significance of the project:

“This marks a milestone achievement in the Zoological Society of East Anglia’s journey and ambition to become fully accessible and inclusive.”

Modular Pod, Turnkey Installation

Having spoken with various Changing Places suppliers, Banham Zoo’s building and estates team instructed RISE to deliver the project as principal contractor, with a scope of works including the design, build, delivery, installation and commissioning of a standard CP Pod, plus all associated groundworks.

The project was delivered full turnkey, requiring five weeks in total and just over a week onsite to install foundations and prepare all services connection prior to the pod delivery.

The robust facility is built to our market-leading specification, providing excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. Form and function are balanced to reduce maintenance whilst providing a great user experience for carers and users alike.

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A Wonderful Difference

Claudia Roberts, Chief Executive Officer at the Zoological Society of East Anglia stated at the official opening:

“We are incredibly grateful to Breckland Council for enabling this Changing Places unit, one of our loyal members only said yesterday what a wonderful difference this will make to their visits to the zoo.”

The facility, which features specialist ceiling track hoist system, peninsular toilet, height adjustable adult changing bench and rise & fall basin, is registered on the official Changing Places map and is in use, much to the delight of Breckland Council colleagues and Zoo visitors.

Cllr Paul Claussen, Breckland Council’s Executive Member for Economic Development and Growth, commented:

“I’m delighted to see our support has helped deliver significant funding to come into the district and help make Banham Zoo, one of Breckland leading tourist attractions, even more accessible to everyone.”

Cllr Stephen Askew, Breckland Council’s member for The Buckenhams and Banham ward, added:

“This new Changes Places Toilet facility, funded via national sources and supported by Breckland Council, means even more people can enjoy a fun day out at Banham Zoo, whilst being able to access first class accessible toilet facilities.”

The positive feedback has been in abundance across social media, with comments including:

“Thank you this is great news – we can finally come back again now!”

“THANK YOU, Banham Zoo. My autistic son’s favourite place is the zoo, especially the sea lions and when we go for days out I either have to try and lift him onto a baby change (which is a struggle for me as he gets bigger, and he is getting too tall & heavy for tables) or sit on a dirty floor to change him. We can’t wait to use your new facilities. This makes such a difference to families like mine and we can’t thank you enough ❤️”

“Brilliant!! It will open up a whole new world to those in need!! Thankyou for caring. 😊”

“Oh WOW , love visting Banham but my disabilities have in always caused me problems accessing your loos, this is amazing news, thank you Banham 👍😍”

For further information about Changing Places or to schedule a free consultation, please get in touch.