This is the first time in the Awards twenty eight years history that a cleaning company has achieved this top award and was in recognition of being awarded Platinum Awards for every one of their entries. We Clean Director Paul Concannon’s response after being presented with the Award was: “Absolutely shocked to win the Overall Tork Loo of the Year Award for 2015. I think the award goes out to the four hundred plus frontline cleaning staff that we have in our business. They are kings and queens and they are what makes our business and that award goes to them”.

We Clean were also awarded the Individual Categories Award for England and one of their Attendant Team leaders, Baba Sechan was also awarded the Attendant of the Year Individual Attendant Team Award – the highest accolade.

Awards managing director, Mike Bone quotes “We Clean first entered Loo of the Year Awards in 2014 and won a number of awards, all of their entries were exceptionally clean and well maintained. The loos entered in 2015 were in various clients’ locations including the Heritage Motor Museum, Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham Hippodrome, Selly Oak Trust School, the Birmingham Symphony Hall and prestigious office buildings. We Clean’s passion for delivering only cleaning related services has demonstrated that focus can achieve exceptional results in toilet cleaning standards”.

Other major UK Trophy Winners included Aberdeenshire Council, Asda, Buttercrane Shopping Centre Newry, Ceredigion County Council, Danfo, Loch Ness Shores Camping and Caravanning Club Site, McDonald’s, J D Wetherspoon and Southampton Solent University. The winners were selected from entries in fifty nine entry categories across all market sectors.

Guests from throughout the UK, including representatives from leading cleaning and FM companies, attended the special Awards Presentation Event at the four star St Johns Hotel Solihull. Bobby Davro provided comedy, impressions and singing as the excellent after lunch entertainment which the three hundred plus guests thoroughly enjoyed.

The 2015 Awards were run in association with Headline Sponsor Tork and Associate Sponsors Airdri and Clos-o-Mat. Leading suppliers; Bonasystems, Danfo, Evolve Security, Kaivac and Willings Services supported this year’s Awards.

www.wecleanltd.com

Tony Clough, leading disability campaigner, is clarifying the legalities re provision of Changing Places assisted accessible toilets in locations to which the public have access.

 "You wouldn't change a baby on the floor of a public loo. All we want is the same dignity, hygiene and respect for children and adults who need a carer to help them toilet. Otherwise we have to lie our loved one on the toilet floor, " says Tony.

"There is a misconception that Changing Places are only for major venues, tourist attractions. They are needed more widely-spread. They are as important - if not more so in shopping centres, town centres - the places where we visit regularly - or rather, cannot go to, because there are no suitable toilets!"

Under latest Building Regulations, Changing Places the "bigger the better" wheelchair accessible toilets are 'desirable'; under the Equality Act, which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act, providers are required to make reasonable adjustments to the built environment to avoid situations where a disabled person would be at a 'substantial' disadvantage, BEFORE the person experiences difficulties. Potentially, up to 3 million people in Britain would use Changing Places toilets.

"To me, lying on a toilet floor is a substantial disadvantage," adds Tony. "Giving a bit ,more space and providing a couple of pieces of equipment is not an unreasonable request."

Clos-o-Mat is the UK's leading provider of disabled toilet solutions in and out of home (including Changing Places), reinforces Tony's point from a practical, facilities management aspect. Says Clos-o-Mat Changing Places project manager Kelvin Grimes. "We know from feedback at venues we have already installed, that visitor numbers increase, and people stay longer (and therefore spend more) because there are suitable toilets."

 To help business and service providers go ahead with installing a Changing Places toilet, Clos-o-Mat has a raft of advisory white papers, plus technical and support material including CAD blocks, typical layouts and specifications available for  free on its website www.clos-o.mat.com   

Tickets are completely free - just register on the website www.holidayparkshow.co.uk - we look forward to seeing you there!

Many leading holiday parks throughout the UK enter the Loo of the Year Awards each year. They gain an independent assessment of the standard of their toilet facilites, the opportunity to win a nationally recognised award and exposure and promotion of their site.

Full details of the Awards, judging criteria, entries, events, sponsorship and news items are supplemented by a comprehensive Loo Advice section. This includes toilet design, toilet ratios, best practice, cleaning guidelines and colour coding.

The all new website also provides information on the Loo Monitor Service, a valuable additional service. Used to monitor performance more frequently than annual entry in the main Loo of the Year Awards and extremely useful in benchmarking trends in supplier performance and identifying areas for improvement. A ‘secret shopper’ service which can be particularly valuable for clients as part of their assessment of cleaning or FM companies service and all to the established quality standard of Loo of the Year Awards.

Full details are also provided of Awards Consultation Service. This provides a unique, independent and unbiased consultation service on a cost effective basis. The service can be used in relation to proposed, new or older toilets and any aspect of toilet provision can be included. Every consultation is completed by experienced  senior managers.

The gallery section includes images of Award winning loos displayed in entry category sections.

Launching the website the Awards Managing Director Mike Bone said “the new Loo of the Year Awards website www.loo.co.uk  is a major step forward in our evolution.   It has been specifically designed to be useful for the industry and not just to promote the LOY Awards. It provides a hub for useful information and covers all aspects of ‘away from home’ toilet provision.”

9^th July 2015

Tork is the leading global brand in workplace hygiene offering professional hygiene products and services to customers ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissue, soap, napkins, and industrial and kitchen wipers.  

Wherever the highest quality is needed, Tork helps improve hygiene, make cleaning more efficient, lower product usage and reduce maintenance time. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader. Tork is a global brand of SCA, and a committed partner to customers in over 80 countries.

Tork products are designed to minimise refill time and reduce labour costs. Dispensing systems such as the award-winning Tork Elevation range can naturally reduce consumption while minimising waste, which helps to reduce cost in use.

Most Tork products come in Tork Easy Handling™ packaging which has been designed to make cleaners’ lives easier, save time and prevent stress injuries.

And with sustainability always in mind, you can be rest assured Tork products are designed for everyday needs, with the lowest possible environmental impact.

• Use your award as evidence of achievement when in negotiations with customers and prospects
• Benchmark your performance against competitors
• Gain prestige and recognition for your brand and your employees

Want to promote your company at the 2015 Loo of the Year Awards Event? 

• Exhibit your products and services
• Your logo displayed throughout the Event
  Present your product to our audience of toilet providers – on stage!

Want to promote your company in the 2015 edition of the 2015 Results Brochure? 

• Full page or half page advertisement space available
• Your logo and promotional text displayed prominently

Want to promote your company throughout 2015 on the Loo of the Year Awards website?

• Your logo displayed prominently on all pages
• Your company or product information included on our sponsor page
• Your news items displayed

Want to enjoy networking and hospitality at the 2015 Loo of the Year Awards Event?

• The only UK Event visited exclusively by those directly involved with the provision of washrooms
• Unparalleled networking opportunities throughout this popular day time event
• Superb surroundings, sparkling wine reception, four course lunch with wine – ideal for entertaining staff, customers or prospects
• Well knowm celebrity entertainer

IT’S EASY AND VERY COST EFFECTIVE!

Find out more and become involved in the 2015 Loo of the Year Awards by contacting: 

Mike Bone 
Tel:- 01403 258779
E-Mail: mike@loo.co.uk

Leading washroom supply and service companies and other organisations that have benefitted by being an Awards Sponsor or Supporter include Airdri, Albany Washroom Solutions, Armitage Shanks, Bonasystems, Cannon Hygiene, Clos-o–Mat, Dyson, Evolve Security, Help the Aged, Initial Washroom Solutions, Lepicol, Lotus Professional, Ophardt, PHS, Premiere Products, Remploy, SCA Tork, Soluclean, the Changing Places Campaign, Vectair and Willings.

Bonasystems, a market leading provider of floor, wall and hard surface cleaning and renovation chemicals and anti-slip treatments are supporting Loo of the Year Awards again in 2015. They work across the UK and across the globe with organisations from many sectors including leisure, hotel, food, retail, medical, school and transport.

Their clients include some of the world's leading fitness and leisure chains, fast food outlets and car manufacturers.

Slipping accidents cost companies and public bodies millions of pounds annually in compensation payments to employees, customers and members of the public. Such cases may also generate adverse publicity that can further damage business reputations.

Protecting your surfaces helps to avoid accidents which makes financial sense as well as common sense.

For more information contact 01442 927100 or email info@bonasystems.com

We also welcome Kaivac as a new Awards Supporter for 2015.

Kaivac's goal is to deliver cost-effective, worker-friendly cleaning systems that protect the health and safety of a building's occupants as well as the environment. As a result, we design our No-Touch Cleaning systems from the start for deep cleaning in a way that's extremely efficient yet environmentally responsible. Kaivac's hygienic cleaning systems monitor and remove soils and other bio-pollutants to promote the health of occupants and workers whilst delivery savings of time and resources to give a rapid ROI. 

In addition to cleaning, Kaivac's versatile multipurpose systems also offer simple, fool proof and productive alternatives to other costly and labour intensive floor care tasks, such as stripping and finishing. 

Kaivac's science-based systems incorporate the latest soil removal technology that actually improves traction and slip resistance. Kaivac's No-Touch Cleaning® and OmniFlex™ Crossover Cleaning systems have been certified by the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) as providing High Traction. 

As well as improved cleaning, Kaivac's systems are designed from the start to deliver a rapid return on your investment.

• Stretch your cleaning resources by reducing labour times by up to two-thirds
• Cut chemical costs by 50 - 90%
• Save on equipment costs by reducing the need for: auto scrubbers, dry vacuums, wet vacuums, carpet extractors, pressure washers, grout cleaning machines, janitor carts,
• mops and buckets, dust mops, flood recovery systems, and more
• Reduce your training costs by eliminating the need to learn multiple specialised tools
• Reduce costs associated with injury, strain and fatigue
• Reduce frequency of costly burnishing, stripping and waxing procedures

www.rawlins.co.uk/kaivacloya

The Hygiene Rooms must have enough room for non-ambulant children to move around and for staff (at least two adults for a secondary school child using a wheelchair) to accommodate assisted changing. Within this special toilet space is also needed for a fixed or portable hoist, a peninsula WC bow, mobile privacy screening to allow for supervision while maintaining children’s dignity and fixtures & fittings, grab rails etc. required to meet Equality Act/Document M requirements 

The best entries from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be recognised with National Awards and there will also be an Overall Award.

Mike Bone, the Loo of the Year Awards Managing Director said “Access to well-designed and attractive toilets which suit the needs of all types of users of educational establishments should be a right and demonstrate respect for our younger generation. All entries will receive an unannounced inspection visit from an experienced inspector and receive an Awards grading judged against 100 criteria. Full details are available by contacting information@loo.co.uk

28 January, 2015

Many businesses pride themselves on the standard of cleaning and maintenance of the building they occupy or that they are responsible for cleaning. The most frequent place visited by most users of the building is the washrooms. First impressions count and high standard must be achieved consistently if the provider’s reputation is to be maintained.

As a service provider how do you know how you compare with your competitors and how do you gain recognition?

Entry into the annual Loo of the Year Awards will provide an independent assessment of ‘away from home’ toilet provision and recognition of the standards achieved based on ‘the toilet standard’ for the UK. 

Mike Bone, the Awards Managing Director, said “Leading retailers, restaurant and pub chains,
visitor attractions, holiday parks, shopping centres, local authorities, and importantly the cleaning and FM sector generally recognise the annual Loo of the Year Awards as a proven, cost effective and independent annual assessment of the standard of their toilet provision management and receive proper recognition through our annual grading scheme”.

Nominations and entries are now being received for the 2015 Loo of the Year Awards – the annual competition to find the best places ‘to go’ in the UK including The Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and new for 2015 – the Republic of Ireland.
There are thousands of toilets entered annually from all market sectors (there are 60 entry categories). Entries are invited from all categories and every entry receives an unannounced, dedicated, inspection visit. Entries gaining a bronze, silver, gold or platinum award are presented with a certificate – to help them promote their Award winning facilities to their customers and staff. 
There are a range of National and Overall awards and trophies for the very best entries which will be presented at the Awards Presentation Event to be held on Friday 4th December at the elegant four star St Johns Hotel in Solihull. 

The Attendant of the Year Awards form part of Loo of the Year Awards but relate specifically to the cleaning staff that look after facilities, rather than the loos themselves. All attendants and/or cleaning staff will automatically be entered for an Attendant of the Year Award.

Anyone can enter online or by contacting information@loo.co.uk. The closing date for entries is 30th June.
Loo of the Year Awards is a private company and the Awards are run this year in association with sponsors and supporters. Contact as above for sponsorship opportunities.

Zenny Smith, from Orton Malborne in Peterborough, is the proud holder of the title UK Toilet Attendant of the Year in the 2014 The Loo of the Year Awards, which started in 1987, "help focus the spotlight on 'away from home' toilets throughout the UK".

Ms Smith, who is the attendant at the Northminster Public Conveniences, attached to Peterborough City Market, said: "I'm very excited every day to clean the toilets for visitors."

The prize? A large trophy and a certificate, as well as the immeasurable reward of personal satisfaction.

The 56-year-old began the job in 2008 and said: "I enjoy my work, doing the best job I can and making people happy.

"I'm very happy to win and surprised as well. I keep looking at the trophy.

"I'm always cleaning, every part of the bathroom. I enjoy all parts of my job, even when it's cold."