Urinal for WOMEN with no doors that’s six times faster to use than a regular toilet wins £250,000 in funding as it prepares to launch at UK festivals
- Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane designed the first urinal for women
- They said their design is six times more efficient than a traditional toilet
- The pair designed it after getting sick of queuing for ladies’ toilets at festivals
- The creators won £250,000 in funding during their first investment round
The creators of the UK’s first urinal for women have secured a £250,000 investment that will allow it to expand its rollout across the UK.
Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane designed the hands-free ‘Peequal’ as part of a masters project at the University of Bristol to solve a ‘real life problem’.
They used their experience of queuing for hours at music festivals to come up with their urinal, which fits six units inside a pizza-structure.
There are no doors or roof and each toilet, which is designed to be squatted over rather than sat on, is blocked from outside view by cleverly positioned curved walls, which are short enough that women look over the top while urinating.
Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane designed the hands-free ‘Peequal’ as part of a masters project at the University of Bristol to solve a ‘real life problem’. Pictured, a digital rendering of the design
The pair (Ms McShane, left, Ms Probyn, right) were sick of queuing for the ladies’ toilets when working at musical festivals in the UK during summer and came up with a practical solution
The design means a larger number of urinals can fit into a smaller space and the creator claims the ‘fast-track toilet’ is six times faster to use than a traditional cubicle.
It also reduces the carbon footprint of a festival because the ‘peequals’ can be flat-packed and loaded onto lorries, reducing the number of vehicles needed to transport them compared to a traditional cubicle.
The creators are close to signing deals for Peequals to be used at festivals across the UK this summer.
However a trial of the prototype drew some criticism, with some people questioning what happens when it rains and others saying they would feel too exposed urinating while looking out into a crowd.
Ms Probyn and Ms McShane have secured £250,000 in their first funding round, which will allow them to take the business into its next phase.
It comes after the pair won the top prize in the University of Bristol’s flagship enterprise contest to start-ups, securing £15,000.
Ms McShane studied Physics with Innovation while Ms Probyn is an Anthropology with Innovation graduate.
A woman is pictured using one of the first prototype’s of the women’s urinals. Stuck to the side are post-it notes with feedback for its creators
The investors are: the British Design Fund; Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield; former Gü COO Sarah Jones; and Angel Investors Chris Stamp and Elaine Groenestein.
The urinals will become a common sight at British festivals and events, with 250 units currently under construction and several deals being signed with large-scale festival operators in the coming weeks.
Deals are also underway with European festivals for the 2023 season.
Ms McShane said: ‘This funding is not only a huge vote of confidence in PEEQUAL but also a big moment for pee equality all over the world. We want PEEQUAL to empower women to take back their time and break the taboo around female urination.
‘We are building a team to bring our urinals to festivals, sporting events, outdoor shows and more.
‘We’re really proud to be changing the way women pee, and doing it in a safe way which reduces time spent in queues.
The entrepreneurs, who graduated from the University of Bristol in 2020, found that women queue up to 34 times longer than men because there are 10 male urinals for every women’s public toilet. Queues for the toilets at The Parklife Festival 2017 at Heaton Park in Manchester
‘Because our urinals are modular and flat packed, just one of our festival orders this Summer will take 70 lorries – or 140 lorry trips – off the roads.’
Tom Blomfield, co-founder of Monzo, said: ‘I’m proud to be an investor in PEEQUAL – it’s important that women have access to toilets that are quick, safe and sustainable.
‘I was really impressed with Hazel and Amber’s drive and determination, and the progress they’ve made with the business is magnificent. I’m sure you’ll see more of their urinals at UK festivals this Summer.’
The entrepreneurs, who graduated from the University of Bristol in 2020, found that women queue up to 34 times longer than men because there are 10 male urinals for every women’s public toilet.
And once they get to the front of the queue, up to 80 per cent of women end up squatting over the toilet seat anyway to avoid bacteria.
They said: ‘There are so many elements to the design. It’s open air and touch free. Especially in covid people don’t want to touch anything.’
They designed the shape of the toilet bowl so it would suit various squat positions – low, high and wide – meaning the urinals are suitable for most women. Pictured, a graphic shows the various ways the urinals can be used
Often women take more time to use a traditional toilet because of the practicalities of dealing with a period, which may slow down queue times.
If women’s urinals were incorporated more generally those who may take more time on the loo can use a normal toilet, while anyone who is desperate for a pee can head for the Peequal line.
Not wasting time on opening and closing doors and cleaning toilet seats, or laying toilet paper out over the seat, are also ways the design improves efficiency.
Ms Probyn and Ms McShane told the BBC they used to have to choose between going to the toilet or getting food when they worked at music festivals because the queues were so long.
The pair talked to more than 2,000 women around Bristol in focus groups and pubs before coming up with their urinal, which they claim shortens queuing times.
Ms McShane said that the toilet is on a pedestal, but is an adaptation of a hole in the ground.
She said: ‘It’s designed like a boat to minimise splash back and also to have a little place for your clothing in front.’
They designed the shape of the toilet bowl so it would suit various squat positions – low, high and wide – meaning the urinals are suitable for most women.
Ms Probyn added that time spent queuing to use the ladies was ‘wasting hours of women’s lives’.
She said: ‘At the start of the day you might look at this women’s urinal and be like ‘I’m not sure about that’ but after a few bevs, and after you’ve waited in the queue for about 15 minutes already – this option suddenly becomes much more appealing.’
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