VIDEO: Accessible Changing Places toilet installed at Tameside TPE station

The new Changing Places facility at Stalybridge station is a larger accessible toilet for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets, with equipment such as an adult-sized changing bench, a hoist, privacy screen and space for carers. 

The facilities will make the station and wider area more accessible and is located on Platform 4.  

Adam Fairclough, Head of Customer Experience at TransPennine Express, said: “We know that good quality public toilets are important to everyone, but for people with additional needs having specialised facilities is essential. 

“Changing Places Toilets enable anyone to go to the shops, attend appointments, socialise, and travel. 

"We are proud to have these facilities available for our passengers.”  

The new toilet was funded by the TPE Customer and Communities Improvement Fund and Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK) and will open up travel opportunities for people who without the facilities, would not otherwise be able to use the rail network or visit the surrounding area.  

Ceri Davies, Changing Places Officer said: “I am delighted to be here today representing the Changing Places team and Muscular Dystrophy UK, for the opening of this superb new Changing Places facility at Stalybridge Station. The facility has been completed to a very high standard and provides a huge, welcoming and hygienic space where those with additional needs can use the toilet and changing facilities with dignity. 

Changing Places Toilets are ‘game-changers’ for over a quarter of a million people in the UK alone and having this facility here at Stalybridge, which can be accessed by rail passengers as well as visitors to the town, opens up travel opportunities on the rail network for so many who otherwise cannot enjoy a day out with their friends and family and provides potential users with a gateway for onward travel including visits to Glossop and the beautiful Peak District and north towards Holmfirth and West Yorkshire.  

The facilities were installed by healthcare equipment provider Innova Care Concepts.  

Tom Hulbert, Managing Director at Innova Care Concepts, said: “Around a quarter of a million people in the UK need extra space and equipment to use toilets safely and comfortably. Finding accessible transport links is a major issue that families face in the UK, so it’s great to see TransPennine Express (TPE) making a positive difference with a new Changing Places toilet. We are delighted to have worked with the team on this project, which means even more people can enjoy train journeys in a safer and more comfortable environment.” 

Jonathan Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, said: “I am delighted to see the installation of the new Changing Places toilets at Stalybridge Station. These facilities are so important for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. The new provision will make a real difference and will enable more people to get out and about and enjoy train journeys. I first secured a parliamentary debate on community access to disabled toilets in 2017 and it is wonderful to see facilities like this make travel easier for constituents with complex needs." 

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.