Well, the Euros are nearly over, and the England team has made it further than we ever dared to hope.

They play Denmark on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium, and supporters will be travelling to the match in London from all over the UK, but for travelling disabled fans, how easy will it be to find Changing Places toilets en route?

Wembley is one of three host stadiums with Changing Places toilets. However, with some supporters possibly travelling hundreds of miles to watch the game, it is not just facilities at the game that need to be available. Whatever their mode of transport, disabled fans will need access to Changing Places toilets on their journey.

We have looked at some of the key routes to London, whether travelling by car, train, bus or plane, to see how many Changing Places toilets are available.

 

Firstly, air travel. Of the London airports we looked at, only London City and Southend don’t have Changing Places toilets. Gatwick, Heathrow and Stanstead all have two.

 

We also looked at some of the major train, tube and bus stations in London to see if Changing Places toilets are available for those travelling by public transport. We found that most of the larger train stations do have them, with Euston Station, Kings Cross, Paddington and Victoria all having at least one.

 Those that don’t have a Changing Places toilet include Waterloo, Fenchurch Street, Liverpool Street and Marylebone (which is close to Wembley). Also, Wembley Stadium Station itself is lacking a Changing Places toilet. The same is true of nearby tube stations Wembley Park and Wembley Central.

 

 

The new Changing Places Toilet at Euston Station

 

Of the four major motorways serving London, the M1, M4, M11 and M25, only the M11 does not have a motorway services with a Changing places toilet. The others have three, five and four respectively.

Many of the main airports, motorways and train stations in and around London do have Changing Places toilets available. So, if the journey is planned well by travellers, it is possible to reach Wembley with adequate access to toilet facilities. However, there are areas where access to Changing Places toilets needs to be improved. If travelling on minor roads, the situation would obviously very different, with those needing a Changing places toilet having to find the nearest local facility, in a supermarket, shopping centre or public building for example. The availability of fully accessible toilets will also vary depending on where in the country supporters are coming from.

With rail, bus and tube travel, the main train stations in London do have Changing Places toilets, with some notable exceptions (including St. Pancras and Waterloo). However, some of the key smaller stations en route to Wembley are not as accessible. Key bus and tube stations are also missing them.

However disabled supporters reach Wembley tomorrow, we hope they (and all other England fans) get the result we are all wishing for.

GO ENGLAND!!

MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT AVESO

The team at Aveso are passionate about Changing Places toilets. They have supported the official Changing Places campaign since 2013, and can provide free, expert advice on all aspects of the Changing Places planning and design process.

ABOUT ASTOR BANNERMAN

Astor Bannerman offer the full range of products specified by Changing Places regulations, including fixed and mobile changing tables, hoists, height adjustable washbasins, toilets and accessories. They are always developing new products, and are proud to have developed the Astor Invincible, the first changing table designed specifically for Changing Places toilets.