Greenwood, Hampton Hill’s vibrant community centre, is open to the public during office hours – and our toilets are available for anyone to use, including our fully accessible loo. As part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Community Toilet Scheme, we’re proud to help make it easier for everyone to find a clean, safe place to stop. And, as a Sit-Stop location too, you’re very welcome to pop in, take a (wee) rest, or contact us and book a Centre Tour while you’re here. See more Sit-Stop places in Richmond here.
World Toilet Day – 19 November
Access to a toilet is a vital human right. And World Toilet Day, celebrated on 19th November each year, is about tackling the global toilet crisis, highlight the desperate needs of 3.5 billion people still living without safely managed sanitation. For 2025, the theme is ‘Sanitation in a changing world’, reminding us that no matter what the future holds, we’ll always need the toilet. In the UK, we have the Victorians to thank for meeting the need for more public conveniences in the UK, enabling many more ladies to venture further afield. And now with more fully accessible public toilets, through the National Key Scheme, wheelchair users and people with limited mobility or additional needs can now go with more convenience.
Why is the RADAR key so big?
Although the charity RADAR (Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation) no longer exists, there is a big chunky key that still bears its name. At 4in long, the RADAR key has been designed for easier use, particularly for people with limited dexterity. As part of the National Key Scheme, the RADAR key opens wheelchair accessible public toilets in shopping centres, pubs, cafés, department stores, bus and train stations and other locations in the UK. RADAR is now Disability Rights UK, a national organisation of and for disabled people, and you can purchase one RADAR key for the princely sum of £5 online: https://shop.disabilityrightsuk.org/products/radar-key
Changing Places Toilets
For people who need more than just your bog-standard privy, such as children or adults with additional needs, there are now over 2,000 Changing Places Toilets (CPTs) in the UK. And apparently, over a 1/4 million people in the UK need a CPT which also has a height adjustable changing bench, a peninsular toilet and a ceiling hoist.
To find a Changing Places toilet near you, pay a visit to their website: www.changing-places.org
Gotta go……
Author: Chris Lofthouse (Operations Manager, H&HHVC)
