Happy World Toilet Day 2024! A day to focus on the 3.5 billion people worldwide who don’t have access to safe, sanitary toilets*.
While Coventry benefits from modern sanitation systems, we know that access to safe and accessible toilets is still a challenge for many in our own community.
That’s why a group of concerned Coventry citizens started the Need The Loo campaign after hearing many different lived experiences of local people facing challenges accessing public toilets in our city centre.
Their campaign is supported by our Connecting for Good Cov community organisers working with local people for a more inclusive Coventry.
People on the “urinary leash” include older people, those lacking space for their stoma changing bag, those finding it too cramped for their mobility scooter, or families without enough room to accommodate all of their children safely.
Many are limiting their fluid intake and spending less and less time in the city centre, and that needs to change!
Need The Loo say it’s clear public toilet provision is not just a matter of convenience but one of dignity, accessibility and inclusion.
Coventry City Council is working with campaigners, as well as Public Health, Equalities and Diversity, and City Services teams to explore potential solutions. The Disability Equality Action Partnership is also supporting the campaign.
You can share your experience, support the campaign for better public toilet provision, help raise awareness and bring about change here in Coventry.
Click on this link for more information about how to get involved.
“Often dismissed as trivial in the hustle of city life, toilets are in truth, essential sanctuaries of dignity and care. At Coventry Central Hall, we take pride in opening our doors, providing accessible and welcoming facilities for our community.
“By joining the Need the Loo campaign, we strengthen a vital movement – calling on businesses and authorities to champion safer, more accessible toilets for all. Together, we’re turning an overlooked necessity into a cornerstone of a thriving, inclusive city.” (Ade Johnson, Coventry Central Hall)
In 2023, the campaign team ran a local survey where more than half of respondents (55 per cent) said they avoid using public toilets at all.
Another ‘bog standard’ was a lack of adequate signage showing where the nearest public toilet is and how long it takes to walk there in the same way as city centre attractions.
Find out more
Click this link to find out how earlier this year Need The Loo made their own “guerrilla signage” and put it up in Coventry city centre to make their point.
Visit the Connecting for Good Cov website to explore other community-led initiatives working together to fight isolation and marginalisation across the city.
Learn about how we spark community, shift power and strengthen people by following this link.
Join us in making our people and communities fairer, stronger and more connected.