Changing Places For Arenas

Introduction

Changing Places toilets are vital to adults and children that have profound and multiple disabilities. Containing an adult-sized changing bench, hoist, and additional space to manoeuvre, Changing Places toilets are used by people that are not able to self-transfer to a peninsular toilet as others might be able to do inside a standard disabled access toilet.

It’s estimated that there are over a quarter of a million people in the UK that would benefit from better access to Changing Places toilets. Better facilities mean people can spend longer periods away from their home, safe in the knowledge that they will have access to a safe, hygienic place to go to the bathroom or change continence wear.

Changing Places are needed across a wide variety of venues and spaces but in this article, we’re focussing on arenas and stadiums. There are just over thirty arenas and stadiums currently registered on the Changing Places map, this includes a mixture of sporting stadiums and indoor arenas. This number is a huge improvement on previous figures but there are hundreds of large arenas and stadiums across the United Kingdom so there is still more work to do.

Why More Arenas Need Changing Places Toilets

The government consulted with people with disabilities, their family members, and assistants to find out where more Changing Places are needed. All participants indicated that they would like to see more Changing Places toilets inside entertainment venues – this includes arenas, stadiums, and theatres.

The strongest reason to install a Changing Places toilet inside an arena or stadium is simply that it’s what people want. People with disabilities have indicated that they would like to be able to visit these venues more easily.

Most large entertainment values already have accessibility policies to enable a wider range of people to visit them – for example, all arenas now have areas for wheelchair users to safely access and view live entertainment. These additions are fantastic and have enabled people with disabilities to experience live music, major sporting events and much more. Adding Changing Places to these venues makes them even more accessible and opens them up to more customers.

There are good business reasons to install Changing Places toilets in arenas too…making a venue more accessible attracts more customers and harnesses the power of the ‘Purple Pound’. The Purple Pound is the name given to the potential profit businesses could be missing because customers with disabilities have decided to visit other, more accessible locations.

In summary:

1. People with disabilities have indicated they want more CP toilets in entertainment venues
2. Installing a facility is just the right thing to do and makes your business more attractive
3. You could potentially increase visitor numbers and revenue with enhanced accessibility

In addition, you could potentially be required by law to install a Changing Places, which brings us on to the next question business leaders often wonder.