Changing Places Adaptation: Bolton Wanderers Football Club

Written by Kit Garrett
November 24, 2023

It’s not every day that we’re asked to be part of something truly transformative, but when the opportunity presents itself we grab it with both hands! Having been asked to play a part in Bolton Wanderers Football Club’s plans to create a new Wellbeing Zone at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, we knew we had to say yes.

A Long Legacy

Founded in 1874, Bolton Wanderers Football Club has an incredible history. From the highs of the English Premier League, to nearly ceasing to exist in 2019, to winning the English Football League Trophy in 2023, the Wanderers have weathered every storm to sit within striking distance of Championship football once again. As they enter their 150^th year, the team at the Trotters have once again shown they’re no strangers to change; with a renewed commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) forming a cornerstone of their community strategy for the 2023/24 season, they identified several areas that needed to be addressed to meet their goals.

Putting RISE Up Front

Through Robin Fletcher of the BWFC Disabled Supporters Association, Bolton contracted RISE to adapt an existing space on their concourse into a Changing Places toilet. The works were to pair with the nearly simultaneous construction of a sensory space by another contractor, with the two facilities launching together on the same day to form a Wellbeing Hub at the stadium.

Opting for our turnkey service, our in-house project team was able to work with the Stadium Management team at the Toughsheet to identify an appropriate space and create an original design that incorporated everything a Changing Places toilet needs without breaking the bounds of the space available.

“RISE have been really excellent in helping us to develop the facility, along with helping us with the design and identifying the right equipment. They’ve got incredible experience within this field, and have worked for many years to make sure that they’re using the right kind of materials, the right quality and the right design to help people have the right kind of accessibility. They were a great contractor to work with to develop this – they are very much leading in their field,” said Phil Mason, Chief Operating Officer at BWFC.

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Pass It To Us!

Drawings and customisations agreed we sent our crack adaptations squad – Sean and Chris – in to ensure all works were completed to our exacting high standards. Working during the offseason and around other events happening at the club, our dynamic duo completed all demolition works themselves before carrying on with their refit, transforming an underutilised storage space into a high-spec, BS8300-compliant Changing Places toilet over the course of several weeks. Following the installation and commissioning of all of the equipment, supplied and fitted by the team, we handed the new installation over to Robin, Phil and the team at Bolton in plenty of time for them to meet their launch deadline.

When asked what his hopes for the new facility were, Phil said, “I think it’ll make a huge difference, there’s no doubt about it. For the many people who struggle to be able to access and to be able to come to events because they cannot plan when they might need a facility, it can make things hard work. To know that there’s one here, that they can come to a game with dignity and feel comfortable makes a huge difference.”

And the best thing about working with RISE?

“I think the expertise that RISE has. You want to have confidence that somebody who’s going to be a supplier knows what they’re talking about and has knowledge of the field. RISE understood where we were coming from and what we were trying to achieve.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Back Of The Net!

The accessibility of sports venues is coming under increasing scrutiny, thanks in part to pressure applied through the #RiseForSport campaign. Following changes in the law in 2020, all new build arenas with a capacity of over 350 must have suitable adaptations for people with complex disabilities: namely, a Changing Places toilet. #RiseForSport seeks to extend this requirement to all UK sports venues, regardless of when they were built, by 2030.

Changing Places are the biggest piece of social change in a generation – don’t let your club lag behind. Get in touch and let’s build a community, together.

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