On Friday 22nd January Hayley from PWC braved the cold weather to meet Community Organiser Melissa to map out Coventry's Public Toilet provision for the Need The Loo Campaign.
Hayley used her volunteering hours to get involved with the campaign. The info was then used to update The Great British Toilet map with accurate information for Coventry City Centre.
What is the Need The Loo Campaign?
'The Need The Loo Campaign' is actively working to improve public toilet provisions in Coventry. The campaign, supported by a group of local residents and Connecting For Good, addresses concerns regarding the scarcity, accessibility, and hygiene of public toilets in the city.
Last year the team conducted a survey to find out peoples thoughts and experiences. They found that there are a few more free public toilets in the city centre than they first realised, but they're not well signposted and the level of hygiene varies a lot, which puts people off using them.
They heard from lots of different people who have lived experience of various health conditions who need to use the loo easily. They have reported they won't go to areas of the city centre, if they don't know where the toilets are. The updated online map aims to alleviate this issue by informing people of the nearest toilets. The next steps will be to work with Coventry City Council on the lack of signage issue.
The findings of the survey produced 5 recommendations for change...
1. Better and more signage about toilets - physical and online.
2. Better maintenance of the existing toilets in the City Centre.
3. More toilet provision in the areas of the City Centre that are currently lacking.
4. More understanding by businesses of why people may need to use their toilet.
5. Better collaboration to ensure the toilet provision makes Coventry people proud and visitors feel welcomed.
How can YOU get involved?
The campaign team is seeking volunteers to help create content for social media, documents, letters, and emails. This content, both visual and textual, will be used to persuade businesses to adopt community-led ideas to improve their toilet facilities.
People with creative ideas about signage, experience in wayfinding, or interest in campaigning are encouraged to join.
Or maybe you would love to work on the development for new toilet provision in the City? There are many different roles you can get involved with depending on the skills and time you have available.
Community Organiser Training is provided for those who would like to join the Need The Loo core team.
Get in touch with Melissa if you would like to help this campaign to grow: mvsmith@grapevinecovandwarks.org