
Swindon mums celebrate longer opening of inclusive toilet
A campaign group made up of mothers is celebrating after a council agreed to open an accessible toilet at a popular attraction for longer.Mums on a Mission, from Swindon, all have children with additional needs or disabilities, and asked for a specially-accessible changing places toilet at Coate Water Country Park, Swindon, to be open for the same length of time as the general toilets.The Swindon Borough Council-run toilet was found locked on a recent Sunday when someone needed to use it.The group argued this was "discrimination", and the authority has now agreed to open the toilet longer from the end of May.
Mums on a Mission said the fully accessible facility - which has space and facilities for changing both children and adults - should be open from 07.30 - 16.30 each day. However, although the council agreed, it said the longer opening would be staff reliant, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.A spokesperson for Mums on a Mission said: "We're so happy to have this fantastic facility at Coate Water, but we do need it to be open and accessible."Without such a specialist facility, they said, older children and adults who still need to wear nappies or pads against incontinence need to be changed lying on the ground of a lavatory block, which is both "insanitary and undignified".The group has campaigned for accessible toilets to be installed in a number of venues in Swindon including the Designer Outlet and are looking forward to the opening of the Fleming Way Bus Boulevard, the spokesperson added.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
King Charles tells veteran to ‘keep drinking whisky' during Lancaster Castle visit
King Charles made a memorable visit to Lancaster Castle on 9 June where he advised 101-year-old veteran Richard Brock to "keep drinking whisky'. The monarch, who remembered Brock from last year's D-Day commemorations in Normandy, engaged in a heartfelt exchange during the reception at the castle. The King also participated in the traditional 'ceremony of keys" outside the historic castle, a custom dating back to Queen Victoria in 1851 and last observed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015. While managing his cancer treatment, Charles continued his royal duties, also visiting local businesses and the newly created Whitewell Coronation Woodland Garden in the Forest of Bowland.


The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Variety of wildlife in UK's woodlands falling as habitats degrade, says report
The variety of wildlife in the UK's woodlands continues to decline as the habitats deteriorate, according to a new report. The Woodland Trust found that the progressively worsening ecological condition of woodlands is making them a less effective habitat for the wildlife living in them. Only one in 50 native woodlands have more than one veteran tree per 200,000 square metres, the report revealed. The presence of older trees are vital for wildlife as they provide food and habitat. Abigail Bunker, the trust's director of conservation and external affairs, said: 'The nation's once rich, complex woodlands have become simpler and less biodiverse over time. Alarmingly, many British woodlands have very few – if any – ancient and veteran trees left.' The report laid out a 37% fall in the number of woodland birds over the last 50 years, including a sharp 15% fall in the last five. The number of woodland-associated butterflies fell by 47% between 1990 and 2022. An earlier report by the Woodland Trust in 2021 found that only 7% of Britain's native woodland was in good condition. It found woodlands with low levels of deadwood, few veteran trees and poor diversity in age and species of trees. Between 2010 and 2020, 393 veteran trees were reported to be 'lost' in the ancient tree inventory, meaning they had fallen, been felled or destroyed. A new government taskforce was set up in November 2024 to oversee the planting of new trees with the aim of hitting a target of 16.5% cover by 2050. The taskforce will bring together ministers from all four UK nations as well as several arms-length bodies. Last year, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, allocated up to £400m over two years for tree planting and peatland restoration in England. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion In the recent report, the Woodland Trust said only 45% of woodland creation targets have been met in the last four years. Bunker said: 'It's also vital that the government start hitting its tree-planting targets, so that there is time to grow the veteran trees of the future and help shape woodlands to better withstand challenges like new diseases, or rising temperatures.' The report highlighted the role that woodlands play in mitigating the effects of climate change, with UK forests storing 1bn tonnes of carbon and also removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.


The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Sudoku 6,926 medium
Click here to access the print version. Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. To see the completed puzzle, buy the next issue of the Guardian (for puzzles published Monday to Thursday). Solutions to Friday and Saturday puzzles are given in either Saturday's or Monday's edition.