tesco nora changing places

Having registered 40 new Changing Places facilities across the UK since partnering with Muscular Dystrophy UK this year, Tesco has released a new film championing the importance of the specialist bathroom facilities.

Announcing the partnership in spring, Tesco, one of the UK’s largest retailers, has rolled out a Changing Places installation programme across 40 stores and says it plans to install 35 more facilities in 2020.

Larger than standard accessible toilets, Changing Places contain extra equipment to help those with complex needs to use the toilet in comfort, including height-adjustable changing benches, overhead tracks, hoists and additional space for a disabled person and two carers.

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According to the Muscular Dystrophy UK, the charity for 70,000 children and adults living with muscle-wasting conditions and a co-chair of the Changing Places Consortium, having access to Changing Places toilets increases independence and improves quality of life. However, fewer than 0.1 percent of retailers and supermarkets in the UK have a Changing Place facility.

The national charity is calling on retailers to follow Tesco’s lead and commit to installing facilities.

Reinforcing the importance of Changing Places toilets and the charity’s call, Tesco has launched a new video documenting the story of Nora, a young girl living with cerebral palsy.

The short one minute video emphasises how valuable access to Changing Places facilities is to Nora and her family.

Watch the video here:

Discussing the video, Clare Lucas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “Stories like Nora’s show the positive impact that Changing Places toilets have. Too many families are still having to plan what they do and where they go based on the availability of Changing Places toilets.

“Having more Changing Places toilets available enables families, like Nora’s, to have greater independence and to do things that many people take for granted – like doing your weekly shop or being able to make the journey to visit a loved one.”

The video comes as the Government continues to invest in creating a fully accessible society, with a particular focus on Changing Places facilities.

In October 2019, the Department for Transport reopened Changing Places funding for service stations on motorways and A-roads to apply for across England, as well as making grants available to NHS Trusts to install the facilities in May 2019.

Additionally, proposals to update Building Regulations to make Changing Places facilities mandatory in all large, public buildings are being consulted on.

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https://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/tesco-nora-changing-places.jpghttps://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/tesco-nora-changing-places-150x150.jpgCalvin BarnettNewsroomRetailer NewsThird Sectorchanging places,film,hoists,markets,Muscular Dystrophy UK,Nora,overhead track,supermarkets,toileting,toilets,videoHaving registered 40 new Changing Places facilities across the UK since partnering with Muscular Dystrophy UK this year, Tesco has released a new film championing the importance of the specialist bathroom facilities. Announcing the partnership in spring, Tesco, one of the UK’s largest retailers, has rolled out a Changing Places...News, views & products for mobility, access and independent living professionals