Two new accessible Changing Places open in Mansfield
Two new specialist toilet and changing facilities have opened in Mansfield’s town centre.
The Four Seasons Shopping Centre and Mansfield Museum now have Changing Places facilities that can cater for visitors with profound or multiple disabilities as well as visitors with stoma bags.
The spaces include a height-adjustable adult changing bench, a ceiling track hoist, a toilet with space for two assistants, and a privacy screen. Also installed are wider paper rolls, a large waste disposal bin, a backrest on the toilet seat, and a height-adjustable wash basin.
The Changing Place in Mansfield Museum is readily accessible during the museum’s opening hours with a radar key. To use the Four Seasons Shopping Centre facility, visitors will need to register for a swipe card.
You can apply via the council website at www.mansfield.gov.uk/changingplaces. Fill out the form, and the card will be posted directly to you, free of charge. This system has been implemented to avoid vandalism.
Visitors to the town will also be able to approach our Town Centre operatives, Four Seasons Shopping Centre staff and Mansfield BID staff for assistance.
Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “We are delighted that the council has been able to play a key role in helping set up these new Changing Places toilets in the town centre.
“These toilets give anyone, regardless of their disability, greater freedom to go to the shops, enjoy community life, socialise, and travel – all the things that most of us take for granted every day. It also helps to ensure Mansfield’s town centre continues to be a place for everyone, improving access for visitors with additional needs.”
The facilities have been designed by the council’s design services team and formally approved by Muscular Dystrophy UK. The requirement to seek approval from the charity is a condition for unlocking the government funding.
In March 2022, the council successfully bid to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLHUC) for £183,200 to deliver Changing Places in the town centre.
Full details of the locations of Changing Places facilities, and how to access them, can be found on the national website at www.changing-places.org/find.