Help us campaign for single-sex changing in Darlington's Dolphin Centre
We call on Darlington Borough Council to provide single-sex changing rooms for pool users alongside the existing Changing Village’s (mixed-sex) family and disabled facilities in the Dolphin Centre. They must provide 3 changing rooms: 1 for females, 1 for males, and 1 mixed-sex.
The council know mixed-sex facilities are dangerous for some users. How do we know this? Because the gym's changing rooms are either female or male; the toilets are either female or male or fully enclosed rooms for a single user.
Just google ‘man filming in leisure centre’, and you’ll see an increasing number of incidents and victims being filmed by perverts who take advantage of the gaps around the cubicle walls. Often victims don’t know until later that they’ve been photographed & filmed while they’re naked. It is deeply traumatic.
If you live in Darlington and believe that women and girls deserve the right to change away from unwanted male attention and without fearing they could be subjected to voyeurism, sexual harassment and assault, please sign.
Darlington Council is spending over £2m to increase the use of the Dolphin Centre. We believe these great improvements should also include prioritising the privacy and safety of users, especially women and girls, who currently have no choice but to use the mixed-sex Changing Village. Mixed-sex changing facilities are known to be dangerous for females, with greatly increased incidents of voyeurism, sexual harassment and assault.
Almost 90% of incidents of voyeurism, sexual harassment and sexual assault in leisure centre changing rooms take place in mixed-sex facilities. Only 10% take place in single-sex changing rooms, even though more leisure centres have this type. This means criminals are taking advantage of mixed-sex facilities. The majority of the victims are women and girls changing on their own - they’re just not safe in mixed-sex rooms.
Rory Robertson was found guilty of filming girls as young as 12 changing in the Dolphin Centre. He avoided imprisonment. Others have been caught using their phones in the Changing Village.
The police and Swim England have told councils that mixed-sex changing rooms are putting girls & women in danger. We can't rely on the courts to protect women and girls, so the council must make sure that the changing facilities prioritise their privacy and safety.
If you live in Darlington, join us and tell the council they must provide single-sex and mixed-sex changing rooms for pool users. Sign this petition.
Thank you for your support, Leigh Taylor, DL5, and Rob Smith, DL2.
This petition will be presented to Darlington Borough Council to instruct the council to act in the interests of all those living in the Darlington Borough Council area.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
December 2, 2025
Reached 100 supporters
November 23, 2025
102 Comments
New data has just come out from a FOI request by WRN which supports the fact that women and girls are in danger of sexual violence by men in mixed changing spaces. Local authorities are designing in harm for women when they build leisure centres and swimming pools with mixed changing rooms. It shows a complete disregard for the safety of women and girls.
I was a PE teacher for decades it was males behaving badly in village type changing rooms was a common occurrence. The statistics on this issue prove my point. Not ensuring female safety and privacy is an appalling travesty.
I have used and may well use the centre in the future when visiting good friends in the town. My anxiety around men when in vulnerable spaces causes me, and many other women, to self excuse from centres that do not provide single sex changing ) toilet facilities. Also, read the Equality Act and T1 document for building regs. You must abide by the law.
Whilst on holiday I was shocked to discover that this facility has a “changing village” leaving women and girls wide open for predatory men including voyeurism and sexual harassment. Please provide single sex facilities for women and girls to provide a safe and dignified changing area. Thank you.
young girls and women should have their own spaces - it's poor that this isn't happening in these days of mobile phones / ease of filming.
A lack of single sex facilities creates unnecessary risks to women and children by predatory men. But You knew that already, so why do you have mixed changing facilities?
Protect women and girls from predatory men. Single sex spaces are a legal requirement.
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Help us campaign for single-sex changing in Darlington's Dolphin Centre
We call on Darlington Borough Council to provide single-sex changing rooms for pool users alongside the existing Changing Village’s (mixed-sex) family and disabled facilities in the Dolphin Centre. They must provide 3 changing rooms: 1 for females, 1 for males, and 1 mixed-sex.
The council know mixed-sex facilities are dangerous for some users. How do we know this? Because the gym's changing rooms are either female or male; the toilets are either female or male or fully enclosed rooms for a single user.
Just google ‘man filming in leisure centre’, and you’ll see an increasing number of incidents and victims being filmed by perverts who take advantage of the gaps around the cubicle walls. Often victims don’t know until later that they’ve been photographed & filmed while they’re naked. It is deeply traumatic.
If you live in Darlington and believe that women and girls deserve the right to change away from unwanted male attention and without fearing they could be subjected to voyeurism, sexual harassment and assault, please sign.
Darlington Council is spending over £2m to increase the use of the Dolphin Centre. We believe these great improvements should also include prioritising the privacy and safety of users, especially women and girls, who currently have no choice but to use the mixed-sex Changing Village. Mixed-sex changing facilities are known to be dangerous for females, with greatly increased incidents of voyeurism, sexual harassment and assault.
Almost 90% of incidents of voyeurism, sexual harassment and sexual assault in leisure centre changing rooms take place in mixed-sex facilities. Only 10% take place in single-sex changing rooms, even though more leisure centres have this type. This means criminals are taking advantage of mixed-sex facilities. The majority of the victims are women and girls changing on their own - they’re just not safe in mixed-sex rooms.
Rory Robertson was found guilty of filming girls as young as 12 changing in the Dolphin Centre. He avoided imprisonment. Others have been caught using their phones in the Changing Village.
The police and Swim England have told councils that mixed-sex changing rooms are putting girls & women in danger. We can't rely on the courts to protect women and girls, so the council must make sure that the changing facilities prioritise their privacy and safety.
If you live in Darlington, join us and tell the council they must provide single-sex and mixed-sex changing rooms for pool users. Sign this petition.
Thank you for your support, Leigh Taylor, DL5, and Rob Smith, DL2.
This petition will be presented to Darlington Borough Council to instruct the council to act in the interests of all those living in the Darlington Borough Council area.
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
December 2, 2025
Reached 100 supporters
November 23, 2025
102 Comments
I'm a frequent swimmer and travel a lot with my job - I would not use any swimming facilities that don't have a women only changing room. Any choice to not include this is discrimination against women- the only people it puts in danger.
New data has just come out from a FOI request by WRN which supports the fact that women and girls are in danger of sexual violence by men in mixed changing spaces. Local authorities are designing in harm for women when they build leisure centres and swimming pools with mixed changing rooms. It shows a complete disregard for the safety of women and girls.
I was a PE teacher for decades it was males behaving badly in village type changing rooms was a common occurrence. The statistics on this issue prove my point. Not ensuring female safety and privacy is an appalling travesty.
I have used and may well use the centre in the future when visiting good friends in the town. My anxiety around men when in vulnerable spaces causes me, and many other women, to self excuse from centres that do not provide single sex changing ) toilet facilities. Also, read the Equality Act and T1 document for building regs. You must abide by the law.
Whilst on holiday I was shocked to discover that this facility has a “changing village” leaving women and girls wide open for predatory men including voyeurism and sexual harassment. Please provide single sex facilities for women and girls to provide a safe and dignified changing area. Thank you.
young girls and women should have their own spaces - it's poor that this isn't happening in these days of mobile phones / ease of filming.
A lack of single sex facilities creates unnecessary risks to women and children by predatory men. But You knew that already, so why do you have mixed changing facilities?
Protect women and girls from predatory men. Single sex spaces are a legal requirement.
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I'm a frequent swimmer and travel a lot with my job - I would not use any swimming facilities that don't have a women only changing room. Any choice to not include this is discrimination against women- the only people it puts in danger.