‘Loo Tour de Britain’ to raise money for changing facilities in Arbroath

Published On Thu 12 Jun 2014 by Grant Hill

Arbroath man Grant Speed will next month undertake a gruelling, five-day 370 mile cycle to raise funds for changing facilities for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in his hometown.

Grant has seen the difficulties his sister Lois faces finding suitable toilet and changing facilities when she takes her daughter Kelsey and son Kein out for the day. Inspired by the work of PAMIS, the University of Dundee-based charity campaigning for ‘Changing Places’ toilets to enable anyone to access facilities in comfort and safety regardless of the difficulties they face to be installed across the country, will cycle from Leeds to Arbroath from Monday 7th to Saturday 12th July.

The start of the challenge has been chosen as Grant is a long-time fan of Le Tour de France, which begins in Leeds this year. After a weekend as a Tour Maker in Yorkshire, he will make his way home by bike on what he has dubbed ‘Loo Tour de Britain’.

The first phase of the journey will see him cycle 290 miles from Leeds to Edinburgh from Monday 7th to Thursday 10th July. He will then bike bridge-to-bridge, the 70 miles from the Forth to Tay, the following day before an easier 10 mile cycle to Arbroath harbour on the last day, the final stretch of which has been called the ‘Family Mile’ when everyone is welcome to join Grant and bike, stroll or push from Kerr’s Miniature Railway to the Harbour.

“I have seen the constant battle that Lois and my niece and nephew have been trying to access a suitable changing facility when they are out and about for the day,” said Grant. “Having seen the work done by PAMIS and the Changing Places campaign, I want to raise money to build a Changing Places Toilet in Arbroath.

“Lois believes this would not only benefit her son and daughter but many other individuals, families and carers who face similar difficulties and who would also benefit from this type of toilet facility. This is a basic need that should be met to help ensure that people can get out and about more easily without having to plan trips around distance of a local sports centre where toilet and changing areas are not always suitable or available.”

Designed to be bigger and better than conventional accessible toilets, these toilets are large enough to accommodate a wheelchair and up to two carers, a ‘Changing places’ standard fixtures of overhead hoist, peninsula toilet, basin and height adjustable changing bench.

PAMIS and MENCAP are leading the Changing Places, Changing Lives campaign, but there are almost 20 organisations which together form the Changing Places Consortium. They have been lobbying local authorities to ensure that at least one public toilet built to Changing Places standard is provided within each centre of each town with a population greater than 15,000 and within each new larger publicly accessible building and complex.

The campaign has been working for several years to get these standards included in the building regulations. Without Changing Places toilets people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as people with physical disabilities such as spinal injuries, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy are forced to stay at home or their family carers have to resort to changing them on dirty toilet floors.

Grant and his supporters have already raised more than £1200 towards the target of £10,000. Anyone is welcome to join the fundraiser and do all or part of the route with him or to sponsor him at http://www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/LooTourDeBritainforChangingPlaces.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
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University of Dundee
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