Changing Places Take Off

Britain’s best airport1 now offers the best facilities for disabled travellers too, with the opening of three Changing Places toilets.

Manchester Airport has created the special facilities, for people who need the help of a carer for their personal hygiene, airside, in each of its three terminals, as part of its commitment to delivering a world-class customer experience.

The Changing Places toilets are bigger than standard wheelchair-accessible toilets and also feature a height adjustable adult-sized changing bench, height adjustable basin, and hoist, all supplied and installed by Britain’s leading Changing Places company, Manchester-based Clos-o-Mat.

Without the space and equipment Changing Places toilets provide, people who care for someone with severe learning and/or physical disabilities faces having to either stay at home, or try to change their loved one on the floor.

Tricia Williams, Manchester Airport Customer Services Director, explained, “ I saw a presentation by Changing Places campaigner Tony Clough, and it really touched me: in this day and age, no-one should have to put someone they care for on a toilet floor to clean and change them, and that is the reality if there is not a Changing Places toilet.

We are committed to delivering best practice, and to us, Changing Places toilets help ensure we meet the needs of as many travellers as possible.”

The Changing Places toilets are clearly signed throughout the terminals, and are easily accessed, simply by using the telephone strategically located outside each of the facilities.

Clos-o-Mat has a 50+ years-long proven track record on the supply and installation of fully accessible toilets, and hygiene rooms, including a substantial number of the 700 Changing Places facilities now open in the UK.

It has already installed Changing Places toilets at venues including East Midlands Airport, Gatwick Airport, Paddington Station, the National Exhibition Centre, Trafford Centre, MOTO and Wembley Stadium.

Its ability to deliver design advice, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance across the ambit of accessible toileting equipment, including the Clos-o-Mat wash and dry (automatic) toilet, means it is uniquely positioned to simplify the whole process for forward-thinking environments to which the public have access.