Looking Ahead to Stoma Aware Day 2026: Fen Mobility Centre is Proud to be Stoma Friendly

On Saturday 3rd October 2026, people, businesses and organisations across the UK will come together to mark Stoma Aware Day, an important annual campaign led by Colostomy UK.

Here at Fen Mobility Centre in Ely, it is a day that means something to us.

Earlier this year, we were delighted to become officially recognised as Stoma Friendly, following the assessment of our accessible toilet facilities by Colostomy UK.

With Stoma Aware Day approaching, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk about why greater awareness matters, and why relatively small changes can make such a difference to people living with a stoma.

Stoma Aware Day 2026: Stomas Unlocked

The theme for Stoma Aware Day 2026 is Stomas Unlocked.

This year's campaign focuses on three areas: unlocking understanding, unlocking support and unlocking choice.

For us, the first of those is particularly important. Greater understanding of the needs of people living with a stoma can make shops, workplaces, leisure facilities and public spaces more welcoming and accessible.

A stoma is not necessarily something you can see. Someone may appear to have no additional needs at all, while quietly managing something that affects how they plan journeys, where they visit and, importantly, whether suitable toilet facilities will be available when they get there.

That is one of the reasons why Stoma Aware Day matters.

What Does Stoma Friendly Actually Mean?

When people think about accessible toilets, they understandably tend to think about wheelchair access, grab rails and additional space.

Those things are extremely important, but accessibility can mean different things to different people.

Someone living with a stoma may need additional facilities to allow them to use a toilet comfortably, hygienically and with dignity.

Colostomy UK's Stoma Friendly Toilets campaign encourages organisations to think about those needs when providing accessible toilet facilities.

We were therefore extremely pleased when our own facilities at Fen Mobility Centre were officially recognised as Stoma Friendly by Colostomy UK earlier this year.

It is another small part of making our Ely showroom genuinely welcoming and accessible.

You Don't Have to be a Customer

This is something we particularly want people locally to know.

You do not have to be shopping at Fen Mobility Centre to use our accessible Stoma Friendly toilet.

If you are in the area and need the facilities, please come in.

There is no expectation that you buy anything and there is certainly no need to explain why you need to use the toilet. Just speak to one of the team and we will happily point you in the right direction.

We know that worrying about finding a suitable toilet can affect where people feel comfortable going. If having another known Stoma Friendly location in Ely makes someone's day a little easier, then that is reason enough for us to provide it.

Accessibility Should be About the Person

As an Occupational Therapist led mobility centre, accessibility is something we think about every day.

It is easy to think of accessibility simply in terms of ramps, wheelchairs and disabled parking spaces. In reality, people's needs are enormously varied and many disabilities and health conditions are not immediately visible.

Our Ely showroom has step-free access, accessible parking immediately outside, plenty of room to move around and fully accessible toilet facilities.

More importantly, we have a team who understand that people sometimes need a little extra time, privacy, patience or assistance.

Nobody should feel uncomfortable asking for what they need.

Supporting Stoma Awareness in Cambridgeshire

Stoma Aware Day is also an opportunity for businesses and organisations across Cambridgeshire and beyond to think about what they could do differently.

Sometimes improving accessibility involves major changes. Quite often, however, it doesn't.

It can start with understanding.

It might mean learning more about invisible disabilities, reviewing toilet facilities, improving signage or simply making sure staff understand that not everybody who needs an accessible toilet will visibly appear disabled.

Small changes can remove surprisingly large barriers.

We would love to see more businesses and public venues across Ely and Cambridgeshire become Stoma Friendly.

Looking Forward to Stoma Aware Day

We are looking forward to supporting Stoma Aware Day on Saturday 3rd October and helping to spread the message behind this year's Stomas Unlocked campaign.

Most of all, we hope the campaign encourages more conversations.

The more we understand about the different challenges people face, the easier it becomes to create shops, workplaces and communities where everyone feels welcome.

And if you are living with a stoma and visiting Ely, remember that there is a Stoma Friendly toilet at Fen Mobility Centre.

Customer or not, you are very welcome to use it.

Fen Mobility Centre

Ely, Cambridgeshire

Occupational Therapist led mobility advice, equipment and support

For more information about Stoma Aware Day, living with a stoma or the Stoma Friendly Toilets campaign, visit Colostomy UK.