‘Either an early trip home or sitting in soiled pants’. That is the choice many parents of disabled children have to make when visiting the popular Pennington Flash.
The popular spot in Leigh is currently undertaking development work which will include accessible changing facilities, but this is not happening fast enough for one mum. Rebecca Callaghan, whose daughter has a rare neurological and skin disorder (Sturge Weber syndrome) believes that the cafe should not be built before proper changing facilities.
Matilda, 11, has a birthmark on her brain which has caused her learning difficulties and epilepsy as well as mobility issues for which she requires a specialist wheelchair.
Tilly was also born with two holes in her heart and a pouch in her throat and has undergone over 30 operations before she was five-years-old, her first when she was just 24-hours-old.
Mum Rebecca lives close to the Flash, so has the luxury of going home to change her daughter, but she has experienced not having facilities elsewhere on trips that had to be cut short as a result. She does not want this to dissuade people from using the green space full of wildlife - which the 50-year-old highlighted as a brilliant space for her daughter and many others like her.
“I think it [the changing facility] should be in place before anything else and not in 2023,” the St Helens Road resident said. “It is just so degrading for all involved for them to be changed in the boot of the car.
“It is just not nice. The fact that a lot of places we visit don’t have these facilities is just ridiculous.
“It is almost like going back to the olden days when disabled people are kept hidden. Some changing facilities won’t even allow for both people to fit in because the chairs are so big.
“This is not just a local issue though, it is everywhere. If they [Pennington Flash] are saying it is going to be accessible, that should be in before the cafe and the playground.
“It wouldn’t surprise me that after they build the cafe the budget won’t allow for this. People in wheelchairs feel like they are always thought of last.”
Rebecca wants people to understand that not all disabled children ‘should be in a sensory class’ and that they have options to do what they like. For little Tilly, that is being outdoors in places like Pennington Flash.
Rebecca was complimentary of what Wigan Council has in terms of activity provisions for disabled children, but wants there to be more options for outdoor spaces. Simple things like more changing facilities could help give them that freedom of choice, she believes.
James Winterbottom, Director of Digital, Leisure and Wellbeing, said: “The facilities at Pennington Flash Nature Reserve are currently undergoing an exciting £2.4m makeover as part of our efforts to create an even better experience for all our visitors. A new visitor centre and café will open later this year, which will include brand-new accessible toilets.
“In the meantime, temporary facilities are open for people’s convenience – including an accessible portable toilet suitable for wheelchair users. It is also our intention to upgrade the existing Changing Places facility.
“As a council, it’s important to us that absolutely everyone can experience and enjoy the beauty of Pennington Flash, which is why we’re also committed to improving our current parking to include additional accessible parking bays and upgrading the children’s play area with new, inclusive play equipment for families.
“We thank visitors for their patience while works are carried out and we can’t wait for them to see the finished results in the months ahead.”
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