New Wet Room/Walk in Shower

Conversion from a Bathroom With Shower to a Wetroom

 

River Edge Lodge No 5, now has an accessible walk-in shower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funds are tight at the moment, as you can imagine.

There are no grants available, lodges are always busy with guests, and a hundred other obstacles have delayed us doing this project.

But for some time now, we’ve wanted to offer a wet room to guests with low mobility and wheelchair-users.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADAM STANTON WHARMBY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam, who has Cerabral Palsy volunteers for the charity, Whizkids, which supposts young wheelchair users. When Adam contacted us to say he’d be doing the whizkidz challenge from John o Groats to Lands End … in his wheelchair, we immediatley offered one of our lodges for his epic challenge.

It’s no ordinary wheelchair though – it’s a power wheelchair upgraded by the Mercedes Formaula One Team.

Adam aims to complete the challenge in 22 days, breaking the current world record.

Adam was on The Last Leg, TV programme last week, and took part in a wheel powered race … and won!

We’ll be cheering him on when he starts the challenge on the 23rd March.

I’d already told Adam that we didn’t have a walk in shower and he said he would manage without.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But … we decided to take on the challenge (nothing like Adam’s challenge!), spend the money and make the changes.

So we took the bath out first of all. When I say “we” I mean John! I hovered and watched and handed the odd spanner.

Then the wet-wall had to be removed and the flooring taken up, remove pan and sink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John cut out – a recess to fit new shower base, then refitted a new floor.

He had to slope the floor to drain the water.

Then he had to readjust the plumbing pipes and reposition them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then renew the wetwall around the shower

Then, refit the pan, cistern and basin. Fit a new shower and shower rail, and a longer shower curtain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grab rails and shower gel holder were the last detail to be fitted.

We had advice from our friend Karen who uses a wheelchair. She was our consultant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A slight fly in the ointment was that we were expecting a big group to arrive on Friday 17th March from the Wood Foundation. A group of teachers on a team-building weekend, with activities planned at Willogate Activity Centre. So the shower had to be completed by then. So the pressure was on. I put a wee poll on #instagram to see who thought John would complete the wet room in time. It didn’t look good in the video – tools everywhere, dust everywhere, total mayhem. But in the poll, nobody ticked ‘no’ to the question, ‘Will John have the wetroom ready by tomorrow?’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John worked like a trojan and finished the shower room in the nick of time.

This also means we’ll use less water, making us more sustainable

Check out our accessibility policy on our website

Follow Adams’ challenge on instagram @challenge.adam

Update: Adam is a record-breaker