Tag: PAMIS

Investing in Changing Places Toilets

Funding approved for specially equipped toilets

People with profound disabilities and complex needs will have greater freedom and independence with the development of 59 new Changing Places Toilets across Scotland. 

Backed by a total Scottish Government investment of £10 million into The Changing Places Scotland Fund between 2025-27, £4.7 million has been allocated this year to help individuals, families and carers across the country to take part in everyday activities and community life.  

Further awards being considered from this first applications round will be confirmed early in the New Year and a second applications round of funding open in 2026-27.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: “For people with profound disabilities and complex care needs, everyday activities like visiting a cafe, going to the shops, or attending a community event can be a challenge – especially when suitable toilet facilities are not available.

“Thanks to the development of 59 new Changing Places Toilets across Scotland, people who use these facilities will now have greater freedom, dignity, and independence.

“Awards will ensure that more people can take part in everyday life and enjoy shared community spaces with facilities being developed on the Isle of Lewis, in Clackmannanshire where there are currently no Changing Places Toilets and in a range of other venues, such as community and leisure centres, outdoor spaces and well-known venues like Knockhill Racing Circuit, Dynamic Earth and the National Theatre of Scotland.

“With a total £10 million investment over 2025–2027, the Scottish Government is helping to break down barriers and make communities more inclusive and I encourage more communities to apply for future funding.”

Jill Clark, a user of Changing Places Toilets who also campaigns for more facilities said: “As a Changing Places Toilet user, I am delighted about the announcement of this funding for organisations and look forward to seeing many more toilets being installed next year and beyond.

“This will mean I can visit new places and travel will be so much easier for me.”

Jenny Miller, CEO of PAMIS and chair of the UK Changing Places Toilet Consortium said: “We are delighted with the response to the Scottish Government Changing Places Toilet Fund and that so many gaps in provision of this life changing resource in Scotland will be filled.  

“I am really pleased that the fund prioritised areas where provision was currently low, including rural and remote communities. 

“There are some very exciting venues that will promote inclusion of some of our most marginalised people within their communities and provide access to activities that most of us take for granted.  

“This is a tremendous boost towards Scottish inclusion agenda and PAMIS as the Scottish Changing Places Toilet lead will continue to provide support and advice to successful applicants to ensure that all new facilities meet the highest standards of access.” 

Changing Places Toilets (CPT) offer a vital facility for disabled people and their families and carers whose needs cannot be met through standard accessible toilet provision. 

This includes people with profound or multiple disabilities, people with muscular dystrophy, older people, veterans, people who require the use of a larger wheelchair and people who require a calm and quiet environment.

CPTs have key features which distinguish them from standard accessible toilets. They:

  • offer adequate space (at least 12m2) for a disabled person when they are not in their wheelchair, as well as space for their wheelchair to turn, and one or two carers.
  • have an adult-sized, height-adjustable changing bench to allow people to lie down to have their personal care needs met.
  • have a ceiling hoist to lift people out of their wheelchair safely
  • have a centrally placed peninsular toilet which provides access for people who require support on both sides.

There are currently around 270 of these specially equipped facilities in Scotland. 

Successful projects include:

Almond Valley Heritage Trust, West Lothian – £108,612.  Almond Valley Heritage Centre is a visitor attraction and social enterprise, welcoming over 157,000 visitors annually. Regularly used by community groups, schools, and charities supporting people with complex needs.

Knockhill Racing Circuit Ltd, Fife – £45,000.  A Changing Places Toilet at Knockhill Racing Circuit, enabling individuals and families to enjoy the facilities and entertainment.

Eden Court Highlands – £55,200.  Eden Court is a multi-arts venue with two theatres, two cinemas, two dance & drama studios and gallery space. They offer a diverse programme of live performance, film and creative activities for all ages, abilities and interests.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, City of Edinburgh – £10,000.  Located at the Fringe Central which will be the year-round office and artist support hub for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. It will provide rehearsal, meeting, and training spaces, artist resources, and public facilities, supporting accessibility, creativity, and community engagement at the heart of the world’s largest arts festival.

Point and Sandwick Coastal Community Path, Isle of Lewis – £95,344.  A purpose-built bespoke amenity beside Bayble Beach and near Bayble harbour which is a community owned mooring used by small inshore fishery vessels and recreational sea fishing.

Further information on the fund and Inspiring Scotland, who administer the fund on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Full list of successful applicants.

PAMIS welcomes four new public Changing Places Toilet registrations across Edinburgh

Great news for Edinburgh – 4 new Changing Places toilet registrations at:

South Queensferry: https://www.changing-places.org/find?toilet=3730

The Meadows: https://www.changing-places.org/find?toilet=3733

Inverleith Park: https://www.changing-places.org/find?toilet=3732

Leith Links: https://www.changing-places.org/find?toilet=3734

Well done @edinburgh_council!

#ChangingPlacesToilets

#ChangingPlaces

#Edinburgh

Call for more fully accessible toilets

  • Over a quarter of a million people in the UK in need of such facilities
  • More than 2,400 Changing Places toilets currently available in the UK including 289 across Scotland 
  • Changing Places Awareness Day highlights the need for more fully accessible toilets

Friday (19 July) was Changing Places Awareness Day – the annual event highlights the importance of fully-accessible toilets needed by more than a quarter of a million people in the UK.

Muscular Dystrophy UK and PAMIS, co-chairs for the Changing Places Consortium, are calling for more Changing Places toilets to be made available on the awareness day.

Muscular Dystrophy UK supports more than 110,000 children and adults in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions.

The charity campaigns for people’s rights, better understanding, accessibility, and access to treatments, funds ground breaking research and supports people to live well now.

PAMIS, promoting a more inclusive society, is the only charity in Scotland that solely supports children, young people and adults with profound learning and multiple disabilities (PMLD) and their families to lead healthy, valued and included lives doing the things they want to do within their community, offering a range of projects and programmes.

Together they campaign for Changing Places toilets to be installed in all big public spaces, so that people can access their community.

A Changing Places toilet is different to a standard accessible toilet. With extra space (12 sqm) to help accommodate larger wheelchairs and the presence of carers to assist and support the users. It has specialist equipment such as an adult size changing bench, ceiling track and hoist, peninsular toilet, and height adjustable sink.

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, hidden or physical disabilities such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis, often need extra equipment and space to allow them to use the toilets safely and comfortably.

Without enough Changing Places toilets, people with hidden and physical disabilities face the option of not leaving their homes, limiting fluid intake on days out, or having to be changed on dirty toilet floors.

Currently, there are more than 2,400 Changing Places facilities that have been installed and the Changing Places Consortium works with a range of companies, providers venues and government departments.

Changing Places Awareness Day is not only an opportunity to call for more toilets but a day to mark the official launch of the campaign, started back in July 2006. Enabling a celebration of all the achievements to date and thank the dedicated campaigners, who fight for change.

A bathroom with toilets and sinksDescription automatically generated

Rob Burley, Director of Care, Campaign and Support at Muscular Dystrophy UK said: “For some of the people we support, standard accessible toilets can’t meet their needs, which is why we are proud to be the co-chair of the Changing Places Consortium.

“A person living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition might be in a large powered wheelchair and so may need extra space to manoeuvre around the toilet. They may also need assistance from a family member or a carer and require some of the specialist equipment that is provided in a Changing Places toilet, such as a ceiling hoist and height adjustable sink.

“We hear from a lot of people saying that without a Changing Places toilet they have had to risk their health and safety and that their dignity has been impacted by having to be changed on a toilet floor, rather than having access to hoists and adult changing benches.

“Currently there are over 2,400 registered Changing Places toilets but there is a need for more. We’re calling to have them in all appropriate venues. Legislation calls for them to be mandatory in new buildings over a certain capacity, but given the difference these facilities make, we encourage all venues to install a Changing Places toilet, regardless of size, as it will make a huge difference.”

Scottish charity PAMIS has been campaigning for more Changing Places toilets for over twenty years since the majority of the families the organisation supports cannot use accessible toilets and require the additional space and equipment provided by a Changing Places toilet.

Fiona Souter, Inclusive Communities Director explains: “People with profound learning and multiple disabilities are isolated in their own communities due to the lack of appropriate toilets and this is fundamentally a human rights issue where we frequently hear from families who cannot access healthcare, education or enjoy days out with family and friends because there are no Changing Places toilets nearby.

“While there have been major steps forwards in Scotland most notably around changes to building standards and planning legislation making it mandatory to include a Changing Places toilet in certain sized new public buildings there are still huge geographical gaps in provision.

“We want Scotland to be a truly accessible and inclusive country to visit as well as to live and that is why Changing Places Awareness Day is so important – the more people are aware of these life changing facilities the better.”

Kerry Thompson, from Milton Keynes, was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy (FHL1) and regularly uses Changing Places toilets. She explains why they are so important to her day-to-day life: “Taking a simple trip out can be a military operation. I have a check list of things to take, especially if it’s more than a few hours.

“The biggest problem I face when going anywhere is using a disabled toilet. I find some are simply too small to fit me, my wheelchair in, and it can sometimes feel very claustrophobic, manoeuvring can also be tricky or near impossible.

“My only option is sometimes having to wait until I get home. However, I suffer with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), so holding it can prove really challenging.

“When I found out about the Changing Places campaign, I wanted to get involved and help spread the word on how important these facilities are to so many people, like me, and their families and carers. It makes such a huge difference.”

In a reflection of the importance of Changing Places toilets, and the campaign, Changing Places has recently been shortlisted for Third Sector’s Big Impact award, which celebrates a project that has had a substantial impact on national life.

Artwork by over 500 talented Scottish young artists is now being showcased in Scotland’s National gallery

Your Art World

FREE

National Galleries of Scotland: National

24 June 2023 – 14 April 2024

Visitors to the National can now explore the spectacular Your Art World exhibition, showcasing the artwork of creative 3–18-year-olds from Scotland. The nationwide call out has inspired over 500 incredible young artists from across the country to get involved.

The Your Art World project aims to engage with young people and encourage them to think and act more creatively. Having uploaded their creations digitally to National Galleries of Scotland’s website, the artwork is now proudly displayed on screens at the National.

The young people could be as imaginative as they liked and use any type of materials for their creations, resulting in a superb collection of artworks. The exhibition is a celebration of what happens when young people are encouraged to be wildly imaginative with no limitations.

Your World celebration day at the National Galleries.

Four community and school groups, from the Scottish Highlands to the Borders, also worked alongside the National Galleries of Scotland to create physical installations. Groups involved included Dounby Community School and Nursery, secondary schools from across the Scottish Borders and Granton Primary.

A group of children and their families from PAMIS, an organisation in Scotland working with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities for a better life, are also featured.

The result is a creation of extraordinary displays ranging from environmentally inspired projects made with rubbish collected from the shores of Orkney to stunning paintings, drawings, and 3D sculptures, along with sensory led artwork by the PAMIS group.

Families and young people inspired by the creativity will also be able to get involved in making their own creations in the galleries this Summer. With a specially created ‘make and share’ area allowing them to produce and upload their own work to the website. There is also the added bonus of having their artwork added to the digital showcase on the screens.

Your World celebration day at the National Galleries.

Siobhan McConnachie, Head of Learning and Engagement, National Galleries of Scotland, said: “I feel so excited and proud to be showcasing the artwork of the talented young artists of Scotland.

“The response has been truly inspiring and we have been so impressed with everyone’s creativity. The Your Art World project is incredibly important to us at National Galleries of Scotland as it hands over the creative process to young people and celebrates their work.

“Art has its place in every school, home and young person’s life, whether that be encouraging people to think creatively, use it as an expressive outlet or simply for some fun, this project and exhibition celebrates that art really is for everyone.”

Your World celebration day at the National Galleries.

Dounby Community School Head Teacher, Islean Gibson, said: “Being part of such an amazing gallery exhibition has given everyone here at Dounby School such a sense of pride and motivation.

“Sharing our thoughts and ideas as part of a national project has really inspired our whole school community. The power of creation will have a lasting legacy.

“It makes me swell with pride every day seeing just how impactful creativity can be for a wee school and its community. I would wholeheartedly recommend everyone take that step into Your Art World and see where it takes you!”

The exhibition is part of a wider Your Art World project which aims to engage and encourage young people in the world of art. With online resources available for teachers and families to support children in art-based activities, the project encourages everyone to get involved no matter ability or knowledge. By providing tools and guidance, Your Art World demystifies the creative process and makes art accessible to everyone.

The exhibition is made possible thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who have raised more than £5 million awarded by Postcode Culture Trust to support National Galleries of Scotland.

All submissions can be viewed via the online gallery and will also be displayed digitally at the National until 14 April 2024.