PEEQUAL, the innovative Bristol start-up behind the UK’s first women’s urinals, is to trial them at events abroad this summer as the firm gears up for its busiest festival season yet.
The pioneering business, set up by University of Bristol graduates Hazel McShane and Amber Probyn, pictured, is to supply its queue-slashing urinals to 30 events this summer – twice as many as last year. 
It is also looking to take the urinals – which are six times faster to use and produce 98% less carbon than traditional portable toilets – overseas for the first time.
The flatpack, portable urinals, made from recycled sea plastics, have already been used to great acclaim at a number of major music festivals including Glastonbury, Wilderness, Green Man and Shambala.
Women runners and spectators at the London Marathon were also relieved to find them on the route.
Amber said: “The genie is out the bottle. Why wouldn’t events that claim they are inclusive, sustainable and gender equal also have EQUAL urinals? They are becoming must haves.
“When we went to festivals, Hazel and I had to decide between joining a ridiculously long toilet queue or getting food. Now that women’s urinals are a normal part of festival life, we no longer have to choose.
“Women’s urinals are finally creating pee equality and that makes us very happy!”
This year, PEEQUAL will be at 30 UK events, and they have plans to trial the urinals abroad. Women can expect shorter queues at Glastonbury, Greenman and We Out Here.
Hazel added: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve had from women wherever we go.
“Changing ingrained habits can be hard, but women gave us a chance. Without so many supporting the product we would be in a different place. It takes an army to make a change.
“We’re really proud that women’s urinals are now a permanent fixture at UK events. PEEQUAL has enabled thousands of women to experience a freeing, peeing experience. Shorter queues are here to stay!”
Hazel and Amber learnt to drive forklifts and to weld as they built PEEQUAL into a business that has attracted investment from the likes of Tom Blomfield, the founder of Monzo, and Sarah Jones, the former chief operating officer of Gü Pud.
It has also garnered rave reviews from users.
One woman at Download festival said: “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. I’m in my 40s and I could never imagine that this could be a possibility.”
Another at WOMAD added: “I went to this festival last year and queued 45 minutes for the loos, went back to the same festival and PEEQUAL were there and they changed my life! I didn’t have a single queue.”
Amber and Hazel have so far raised £500,000 in investment and £50,000 in grants and have already won eight awards, including two at the recent Event Production Show.
PEEQUAL began life as Amber and Hazel’s final-year project at the University of Bristol’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Senior lecturer Mark Neild, who runs the university’s student start-up incubator Runway, said: “Hazel and Amber’s success underscores the power young people have to change the world for the better when passion meets process.
“My hope is that they will continue to inspire other female founders to take the leap.”
