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An accessible toilet with a changing bench, shower and hoist has now opened in St. Brelade's Bay thanks to a local disability charity.
Enable Jersey - which is Express's chosen charity in 2022 - received funding £87,000 from the Government’s Fiscal Stimulus Fund to open the £108,000 facility, funding the remaining £21,000 itself.
The 'Changing Place' has been built in Winston Churchill car park, near the toilet block.
Pictured: A changing place has enough room to allow a wheelchair to manoeuvre, and for a carer to go in.
Changing Place facilities are designed to meet the needs of people with complex care needs by equipping an accessible toilet with a changing bench, shower and hoist. Enable hopedsthat more of the approx.14,000 local people living with a disability will be able to access and enjoy their local community.
A number of Changing Place facilities are already available in the island, including in the own centre, Acorn and Millennium Park, but Enable Jersey says it is widely accepted that further facilities are needed in different parts of the island to allow people with disabilities to more readily access public places.
The new Healing Waves Centre at Le Braye will incorporate a new Changing Place.
The charity's CEO, Sean Pontin, thanked all the companies involved in the project, which originally a joint project with Healing Waves and Beachability, before Enable took the lead.
"A number of local businesses have given their time to this important project showing just how important working together can be," Mr Pontin said.
"We would like to thank everyone involved and especially Mitchell Building Contractors Ltd, T&G Ltd, Technicare, Pentagon, Channel Electrics, Codentia Ltd and Mercury Medical for their time and commitment to making this project happen."
Pictured: His Excellency Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton GCB, LLD(Hon), DSc(Hon), BSc, FRAeS, CCMI.
Enable Jersey's first patron, His Excellency Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, will be officially opening the changing place next week, on Wednesday 23 February.
He recently agreed to become Enable Jersey’s new Patron until he leaves his role later this year.
Mr Pontin said: "Having met with His Excellency to discuss our vision for the future we were delighted when he pledged his support by agreeing to become our first Patron and we very much hope the new Governor will also feel able to support us when they are appointed."
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