Coventry & Warwickshire Loo Alliance Gathering Recap | Need The Loo
- Need The Loo
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Wow, what an incredible afternoon!
Last week we brought together residents, community groups, charities, and local organisations from across Coventry & Warwickshire to explore one simple question:
Is there enough appetite to work together to improve toilet provision across our region?
The answer from everyone in the room was a resounding yes!
Thank you to everyone who came along, shared your experiences through our listening campaign or supported the gathering. Every conversation, story and idea helped shape what comes next.
The discussions were honest, thoughtful and full of practical ideas, but one message came through loud and clear:
Toilets are essential infrastructure for every single one of us. Everyone uses the loo and having clean, accessible toilets is what allows all of Coventry to live, work, play and travel without barriers.
Need The Loo Campaign - Our Wins So Far
We know that when we organise together, real change happens. Before diving into plans, it’s worth looking at what community action has already achieved:
Better Signage: we successfully worked with Coventry City Council to install physical toilet signage across 33 city-centre fingerposts and add clear stickers on city-centre bins so people actually know where to go and what facilities are available.
Tackling Hidden Health Needs: We’ve partnered with Age UK, Colostomy UK and Prostate Cancer UK to champion stoma-friendly facilities and press venues to install sanitary bins in men’s toilets.
Unlocking Local Funding: Community evidence and listening data from NTL helped Central Hall secure grant funding to upgrade their public facilities.
Recognising City Progress: We're also glad to see Coventry City Council continuing to roll out Changing Places toilets across the city for residents with complex needs.
What We Talked About
From improving toilets in our parks and green spaces to identifying local "toilet deserts", working alongside businesses, tackling stigma and ensuring people with lived experience are at the heart of this work, there was no shortage of enthusiasm!
And the most exciting part?
This doesn't end with one meeting.
What happens next?
Over the coming weeks, we'll be bringing together everything we heard to agree on our shared priorities.
We'll also be following up with everyone who expressed an interest in getting involved—whether that's by sharing your story, supporting local action, joining a working group, or helping to build the Coventry & Warwickshire Loo Alliance.
You can still be part of it!
If you couldn't make the meeting, there is still plenty of opportunity to get involved:
Complete the Need The Loo Green Spaces Toilet Survey: If you haven't already, take five minutes to fill it out. Every response helps strengthen our evidence for change. Click here for the Green Spaces and Public Loos Survey
Share your story: We'd love to hear how toilet access affects you, your family, or your organisation.
Introduce us to others: If you know a local business, community group, councillor, or partner who should be part of this conversation, we'd love an introduction.
Pledge your support: Whether you want to stay connected, become a Toilet Ally, or join the Need The Loo Core Action Team, find your place on our campaign.
What became clear last week is that this issue matters to a huge range of people. There is a real appetite to work together and by building on that momentum, we have an opportunity to make Coventry & Warwickshire a place where everyone can access clean, safe and accessible toilets with dignity.
Thank you again for being part of this growing movement. Let's keep the conversation going!
– The NTL Core Team
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