A HOTEL which spent £160,000 becoming the first in the UK to have a fully accessible toilet for people with severe disabilities has been praised by two mayors of Bournemouth.

The town's new first citizen, Cllr Bob Lawton, and outgoing mayor Cllr David Kesley visited the family-run Marsham Court, which is one of the few Dorset venues of any kind to have a Changing Places toilet.

The Changing Places Consortium, which campaigns for better facilities for disabled people, estimates that 250,000 people in the UK would benefit from the use of a Changing Places toilet. The toilet includes a hoist, an adult-size changing bench and space for up to two carers along with the user.

As of 2020, there were only 1,500 such toilets in the UK, and just 16 in Dorset.

The Marsham Court secured a £70,000 grant from BCP Council’s post-Covid Bounce Back Fund towards the cost of its improvements.

The hotel, on Bournemouth’s East Cliff, also has a new sensory room, a wheelchair lift into the hotel, laundry facilities, a swimming pool hoist and two new accessible guest rooms with wet rooms, specialist beds and ceiling hoists.

Rosie Radwell, whose family have owned the Marsham Court Hotel for more than 30 years, said: “We are incredibly proud of our new facilities, which are already proving very popular with our guests and also the many local people who regularly enjoy the hotel as a place to meet work colleagues, attend events and spend time with friends and family.

“Accessibility and the way in which we cater for all our guests – including those who need carers for their personal needs – is vital and was made painfully clear to use when our mother Jennie Deavin was in the final stages of her battle with cancer.

“Sadly, for many people with additional needs, memorable holidays with their families seem impossible.”

Cllr Lawton said the facilities were “market-leading”.

He added: “I would like to thank the family and staff at the Marsham Court who have worked tirelessly, both through the pandemic and afterwards, to provide such wonderful facilities, which have been received so well, both locally and nationally.”

Cllr Kelsey said: “I live very close to the Marsham Court and am a regular visitor, so I have had the pleasure of watching these amazing plans become a reality. This has got to be the most accessible and inclusive independent hotel on the south coast, if not the whole country and I am very proud that it is here in Bournemouth.”

The Marsham Court Hotel’s new accessible facilities have already been shortlisted for the Accessibility Award in the British hospitality awards the Cateys, which will be held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on July 5.