Wychavon's toilets named best in the country
Wychavon officially boasts the best public toilets in the UK after scooping the overall national title at the annual Loo of the Year Awards for the first time.
Officials from the Loo of the Year competition presented Wychavon with the 'golden seat' during a socially distanced ceremony at the Civic Centre on Thursday (10 December 2020). Judges were impressed with the high standard of cleaning and provision across all the district's loos.
As well as being named UK Loo of the Year Award Winner, Wychavon also scooped a host of other titles for its far from standard bogs. They are:
- Best public toilets provided by a local authority in England
- Best UK Space to Change Toilet for Church Walk toilets in Pershore
- Best Baby Change Facilities Award for England for St Andrew's Square toilets in Droitwich
- Best Public toilets within parks and gardens in England for Lido Park in Droitwich
- Best non-attended public toilets in England for St Andrew's Square in Droitwich
As well as the titles, three of Wychavon's loos became the first looked after by a local authority to receive the much sought-after diamond status. The other nine were given platinum awards. Wychavon has also moved up the Loo of the Year Premier League table, climbing from 7th to 5th place.
Wychavon has invested heavily in its public toilets over the last three years. Improvements include installing energy and water saving Propelair toilets, solar panels, LED lighting and combined tap/hand driers.
Changing Places toilets have been created in St Andrew's Square, Droitwich, Church Close in Broadway and Church Walk in Pershore to support residents and visitors with severe disabilities who need the space and specialist equipment not available in standard disabled toilets.
Loos in Church Walk, Broadway and Pershore High Street have been completely refurbished while a new block of toilets has been built on Church Walk in Pershore.
Cllr Emma Stokes, Executive Board Member for Environment and Street Scene on Wychavon District Council, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be the overall winner of the Loo of the Year Awards 2020. We know our toilets are valued by residents and visitors and now we have independent confirmation of what we already believed that our loos really are the best in the country and we were right to continue to invest in them.
"I would like to say a huge thank you to our contractors Mitie who do a tremendous job looking after our toilets. Thanks to their hard work for most of this pandemic we have been able to keep our toilets open, clean and safe during one of the most upsetting and challenging peacetime years in history."
Mike Bone, Managing Director of Loo of the Year Awards, said: "It's the first time in seven years that a local authority has won the Loo of the Year award so this is a massive achievement and one that Wychavon is very worthy of. In fact, Wychavon is ahead of the game with few public services offering facilities like theirs."
