Portsmouth music fan and disability campaigner is calling on venues to improve toilet access for disabled fans at concerts

Faith Martin, a music journalist and regular gig-goer, from Portsmouth, runs a campaign called Commit To Access as a result of her own experiences.

The 21-year-old wheelchair user said: ‘I live in a lively seaside city with a vibrant music scene, but I travel all over the UK to watch the artists I follow. Live music for me is about freedom of expression. It’s a chance to be yourself without judgment as well as a great way to socialise and meet new people. As a disabled person, I find it a vital means of connecting to a world that doesn’t always include me.

‘As you may expect from a 21-year-old, there’s nothing I love more than a pint to accompany all this live music, but that’s where things get tricky. While I’m fully independent and don’t need the assistance of carers, I do need a changing places toilet if I stand a chance of staying hydrated in the hot, sweaty venues that I spend so much time in. A changing places toilet is larger than a standard accessible loo. Crucially for me it has a ceiling hoist – I can hoist myself from my chair to the toilet – as well as an adult-sized changing bench, height-adjustable sink and often a Closomat wash and dry toilet.’

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Going to a gig can mean Faith, who has cerebral palsy, is unable to go to the toilet for several hours, putting her health at risk. ‘Without a changing places toilet, I have to train my body to function on dangerous levels of dehydration, without causing a water or kidney infection. It’s painful and doesn’t always work. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.

While she praises her hometown festival Victorious for including a changing places toilet, it is only large venues such as Wembley Stadium and The NEC where she has come across them.

She adds: ‘These are great for arena tours and bigger acts, but what about the smaller venues – the ones that I go to the most? I’ve yet to find a changing places in any that I’ve visited. So I am forced to continue to put my body under extreme pressure if I want to follow my passion, or give up. But I won’t do that. Why should I?

‘Changing places facilities ensure people like me are not risking a medical emergency when they go out for a night of entertainment. They mean we can have a drink with friends, which makes the whole live music experience so much less nerve-racking. But there are simply not enough of these facilities and we need to make venues aware of the need so they can do something about it!’

Claire Haymes, changing places coordinator at Closomat, a company specialising in the toilets, said: ‘While building regulations have changed recently to make changing places mandatory in new venues, there is still so much to be done to make the UK music scene accessible for all. Put simply, hundreds of existing live music venues are unaware that they are discriminating against their disabled customers and potential customers, by not ensuring they provide suitable toilet facilities.’

Follow Faith’s campaign on Instagram at @committoaccess.