A new accessible Changing Places toilet has opened at Locomotion in Shildon, improving access and inclusion for all visitors, as the museum undergoes a multi-million-pound programme of investment.
Visitors to the museum will now be able to access a new Changing Places facility, equipped with a hoist, changing bench and a peninsular toilet, in the museum’s Main Hall.
Funded by a grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with support from Durham County Council and Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK), the museum converted a storeroom to make way for the accessible toilet.
The new Changing Places toilet is part of a multi-million-pound programme of investment that will completely transform the museum with a new building and improvements across the site. Currently under construction, New Hall, which will open in the spring, will be a new 2000 sq metre building that will house up to 50 additional rail vehicles, creating the largest museum collection of rail vehicles in Europe.
Locomotion, which is part of the Science Museum Group, is committed to being open for all and creating spaces that are open and accessible for everyone. Across the group of museums, there are now Changing Places toilets at four out of the five sites, with future plans to open one at the National Railway Museum in York.
Visitors to Locomotion can currently get up close to more than 70 legendary locomotives from across the history of rail and engineering and follow trails around the site to find important landmarks and learn about the world’s first railway town. The museum is currently open Wednesday to Sunday from 10.00-16.00, and entry is free.