Muscular Dystrophy will take over as co-chair of the Changing Places Consortium.

Please see below for Mencap’s full statement:

Jan Tregelles, Chief Executive of learning disability charity, Mencap said:

“Over the last decade Mencap has seen Changing Places grow from a small campaign to a nationwide movement with over 1000 Changing Places toilets nationwide, including in shopping centres, Premier League football clubs and theme parks. Thousands of people with multiple and profound disabilities are now able to get out and do the things they love, without facing the indignity of being changed on dirty, unhygienic toilet floors.

“We’re incredibly proud of everything the Changing Places Consortium has achieved, and we are pleased to have been part of the movement, along with our amazing campaigners. As we celebrate 10 years of our involvement with Changing Places we’re pleased to see the campaign in its strongest position ever, ready for its leadership to be taken on by a new consortium.

“Muscular Dystrophy UK are dedicated to fighting for the rights of people with a disability; we can’t think of anyone better to build on Changing Places' success. We’ll be working closely with Muscular Dystrophy UK and PAMIS to ensure the campaign can continue to build on its achievements. Mencap looks forward to watching Changing Places continue to open up more of the world to disabled people.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

About Mencap

There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education , employment and leisure facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact the Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk

What is a learning disability?

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life.

People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.

Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’.