UK's First Female Urinal Raises £250,000 In Funding

The UK's first female urinal has raised £250,000 ($339,000) in funding.

In a bid to cut queues, University of Bristol graduates Amber Probyn, 23, and Hazel McShane, 25, have designed flatpack portable urinals.

The pair say the Peequal is made of recycled sea plastics, produces 98 percent less carbon than traditional portable toilets and is six times faster.

The inspiration for the idea came from working at festivals, where loo queues can be a major blight.

Speaking to the BBC last summer, Hazel said: "In our breaks we had to choose between going to the loo or getting food, because the queues for the ladies were just insane.

Amber Probyn/Hazel McShane

"So for our masters project, we were asked to solve a real life problem and we knew straight away what we wanted to do."

Now, the business is ready to move to the next phase, with funding secured from the British Design Fund, Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield, former Gü COO Sarah Jones, and Angel Investors Chris Stamp and Elaine Groenestein.

Peequals are now set to 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.

The urinals have no doors and have been described as 'semi-private', with users obscured from the waist down.

They're designed to be either stood or squatted over, with a boat-like shape to minimise splash back and a space at the front to hang clothes.

Amber concedes that women may feel uncomfortable initially, but she anticipates they will soon come around to the idea when push comes to shove.

Amber Probyn/Hazel McShane

She said: "We realise this is a shift in behaviour but it's a more efficient way of doing things.

"At the start of the day you might look at this woman'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."

The anthropology with innovation graduate said she was 'proud' to be playing a role in empowering women.

She 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. 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."