Swindon council buys Mobiloo Changing Places toilet

The facility includes an adult-sized changing bench, hoist and height-adjustable sink and will be available for people to use at council events. 

It was purchased by the council thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 

This new addition will mean that families who care for someone with complex disability needs will be able to attend events knowing there's somewhere suitable for them to go if needed. 

Local disability advocacy group Mums on a Mission have praised the council for this move and welcomed the improvement to local accessibility. 

Councillor Adorabelle Amaral-Shaikh, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for education, said: “It’s great that we can now offer this facility to organisers of any event in the Borough to help make their occasion even more accessible.

“As a council, one of our key missions is to reduce inequality and having a Mobiloo available which will benefit our residents and events is a fantastic step towards that.

“I’d like to thank residents and Mum’s on a Mission for their feedback and support to help make things like this possible in Swindon.”

Cllr Amaral-Shaikh met with members of Mums on a Mission - Swindon outside the Council’s Civic Offices recently to see the new mobile facility up close. 

A spokesperson for Mums on a Mission said: "Swindon Borough Council have purchased their own fully accessible Mobiloo Changing Places toilet.

"It's for local events to hire out, so they can be fully 'incLOOsive' - and follows our years of campaigning to make these facilities as widely available as possible

"We were thrilled to be invited to see it this morning parked outside the Civic Offices, and we're so pleased that such a huge step has been taken to enable everyone to enjoy local events as we head towards the summer."

As well as being used for council events, the Mobiloo is also available for hire. Any enquiries for this should be sent to mobiloo@swindon.gov.uk.

For the last few years, the group has tirelessly campaigned for the town's public places to install Changing Places toilets which offer greater accessibility features than standard disabled toilets. 

As a result, the much-needed toilets have been installed at Swindon's McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, and two of the town's most popular outdoor parks, Coate Water and Lydiard Park.