22 motorway service stations to receive Changing Places funding as funding extended to A roads

More than a third of motorway service stations are set to have Changing Places facilities as the Government extends the second round of funding to include service station operators on A roads.

Announced in April 2019 by Department for Transport, the £2million funding pot for installing Changing Places facilities on England’s busiest roads invited service stations to apply for funding, with Muscular Dystrophy UK working with the Government to allocate funding based on proposals.

Now the Government has confirmed 22 motorway service stations were successful in their bid for a share of the funding, with £750,000 allocated to help make journeys easier and more comfortable for disabled people.

“In a modern country, everyone should be able to travel,” commented Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

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“Despite improvements in some areas, we need our roadside services to be better for the quarter of a million people who cannot use standard accessible toilets.

“This is why we would like to go even further by extending this to the trunk road network. I encourage as many operators as possible to apply for funding, to open up our road network to everyone who wants to use it.”

With hundreds of thousands of disabled individuals unable to use standard accessible toilets, Changing Places facilities provide more space and the appropriate equipment needed for people with conditions such as muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy to use the bathroom safely and comfortably.

The facilities feature mobility and bathing equipment including adult-sized changing benches, ceiling hoists and accessible washbasins and toilets.

Round two begins

Following on from the 22 confirmed motorway service stations receiving support to invest in Changing Places, a second round of funding is now being launched, extending applications to include A roads.

Operators of service stations on these routes, as well as on motorways, are now invited to bid and submit their proposals, with successful applicants receiving 50 percent funding support for specific new Changing Places toilet installations, which are expected to be ready by the early 2020s.

Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK, which co-chairs the Changing Places Consortium, said: “We won’t stop campaigning until every service station in the country has a Changing Places toilet, and we would encourage businesses who haven’t done so already to apply for funding in the next round of applications.”

See which Motorway Service Stations were successful below:

https://thiis.co.uk/22-motorway-service-stations-to-receive-changing-places-funding-as-funding-extended-to-a-roads/https://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Closomat-Changing-Places.jpghttps://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Closomat-Changing-Places-150x150.jpg2023-11-01T12:55:13+00:00Calvin BarnettInvestments & FundingNewsroomSupplier Newschanging places,Changing Places Consortium,Department for Transport,funding,inclusive society,investment,motorway service stations,Muscular Dystrophy UK,transport secretaryMore than a third of motorway service stations are set to have Changing Places facilities as the Government extends the second round of funding to include service station operators on A roads. Announced in April 2019 by Department for Transport, the £2million funding pot for installing Changing Places facilities on...Calvin BarnettCalvin Barnettcalvin.barnett@bhta.comAuthorTHIIS Magazine