Most accessible coffee shops and chain pubs, like Weatherspoons, Walkabout, Nando’s, Costas, Nero & Pizza Express also have accessible toilets. However, if you are searching for an accessible toilet whilst exploring the town centre then there are also accessible toilets in the Lanes Shopping Centre, Cathedral Grounds, Bitts Park, the Victorian Market, and both the bus and train stations.
These toilets are all accessed using a RADAR Key. You can buy a RADAR Key from Shopmobility (see below), or a mobility shop. This is a one-off purchase costing £5. The train station and shopping centre staff have their own keys so will open it for you if required in a bathroom emergency. Most wheelchair accessible toilets have an overall toilet cubicle length of 2220mm, the door opening is 900mm with a 950mm (wide) outward-opening cubicle door.
The standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of all people with a disability. However, at a changing station you can find the following:
- a height adjustable adult-sized changing bench
- a tracking hoist system or mobile hoist if this is not possible.
- adequate space in the changing area for the disabled person and up to two carers
- a centrally placed toilet with room either side
- a screen or curtain to allow some privacy.
- wide tear off paper roll to cover the bench
- a large waste bin for disposable pads
- a non-slip floor
Carlisle also has two places with changing stations: the Lanes Shopping Centre and the Cumbria CVS Shaddon Gate Resource Centre. You can access these facilities using a RADAR Key. The facilities in the Lanes Shopping Centre are open Monday – Saturday 09.00-17.30 and Sunday 10.30-16.30. At Shaddon Gate, the facility is only open when the centre is staffed (Mon – Fri 09.00-17.00), so you can ask staff for a key if required.
I'm Claire. I live in Cumbria, in North West England, near the beautiful lake district and a short distance from Hadrian's Wall and Scotland. I've used a wheelchair since 1999, as I have a bone condition. I mainly use a manual wheelchair, but due to repeated soft tissue problems I use a power wheelchair for distance too. I love exploring the world and have been to some amazing places including Europe, Cuba, and this year a tour of the American Canyons. I hope you enjoy my articles, and find them useful.
