The team behind a flatpack women's urinal has received £250,000 of funding to help in its fight for 'pee-equality'.
PEEQUAL is a urinal designed for women to use that Hazel McShane, 25, and Amber Probyn, 23, designed as part of their course at university in Bristol.
Ms McShane, who attended Wymondham High Academy, stated the idea came from a frustration that had built while working at festivals.
She said: "Long queues at women’s toilets are everywhere, but festival toilets are really bad.
"I spent my summers during university working at festivals, and in my breaks I would have to choose between eating or going to the toilet.
"At university, I studied physics with innovation and was tasked with solving a real world problem and I knew straight away that's what I wanted to fix.
"I pitched the idea to my class and that's how Amber came on board."
The pair graduated from Bristol University in 2020 and spent the pandemic working on the project, which they say is six times quicker to use than normal toilets.
PEEQUAL urinals are built from recycled sea plastics and the materials can be used to create new urinals at the end of their eight year lifespan.
The units produce 98pc less carbon than traditional portable toilets mainly due to their flatpack nature meaning less vehicles are needed to transport them.
On how the urinals work, Ms McShane said: "No funnels are involved - you use it how you would do a wild wee, but it gives you a safe and hygienic place to do it.
"They are private from the waist down and comfortable for women to use, with a design to reduce splashback and a bar to hold for stability."
After months of pitching, the team has raked in £250,000 in funding for their design from The British Design Fund and the co-founder of online bank Monzo, Tom Blomfield.
Ms McShane added: "It was a long process, we went to individuals and pitched the idea endlessly for six months.
"The money's been lifechanging. We can hire a team and start manufacturing units in Bristol.
"Demand for the urinal is coming from all around the country and we hope to go global next year."
The company has plans to attend some of the biggest festivals this summer.
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