Founded in 1974, Airdri is one of the UK’s original manufacturers of hand dryers and today is internationally recognised as a leader in the design, manufacture and supply of energy efficient, warm air, electric hand dryers. 

Airdri’s products are developed with the environment in mind. With its primary focus on sustainability, the company continually strives to develop dryers that consume less energy, emit less noise and last longer avoiding large numbers of dryers being sent to landfill at the end of their lives.In 2012, Airdri’s Classic+ MkII became the first high speed hand dryer to be awarded the Noise Abatement Society’s Quiet Mark in recognition of the company’s commitment to reducing noise levels in our everyday lives. The dryer is also GreenSpec listed and meets the energy saving criteria required for inclusion on the Carbon Trust’s ECA Energy Technology Product List. The Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme is a key part of the Government’s programme to manage climate change.

Lepicol is a three in one high fibre, pre and probiotic formulation specifically developed to help maintain healthy bowels - naturally.

Everyone deserves a clean, attractive environment when they visit an ‘away from home toilet’ especially if suffering from debilitating digestive health problems and Lepicol are proud to be working so closely with Loo of the Year Awards. Lepicol will continue to sponsor the Lepicol Home Throne Award for 2013 - more details soon 

Awards managing director, Mike Bone quotes “for the third year running a council has deservedly won the top award. Brighton & Hove City Council places significant importance on provision of a range of public toilets that meet the needs of all types of users including Changing Places Toilets. Although not all new, the toilets are cleaned and maintained to a high standard and provide much needed facilities throughout the city, vital to residents and visitors”.

Leading toilet providers recognise the importance of meeting this basic human need and entries for Loo of the Year Awards remain at high levels. The Awards recognise and reward the very best in ‘away from home toilets, including public toilets and are ‘the standard’ to which toilet providers aspire. This independent assessment is valued, particularly by third party providers, cleaning companies, FM companies and other entrants from all private and public business sectors.

Other major UK Trophy Winners included Asda, Ceredigion County Council, City Facilities Management, Danfo UK, GBM Support Services, Harrogate Borough Council, Hastings Borough Council, Highland Council, McDonald’s, TC Facilities Management and J D Wetherspoon.

Over 340 guests attended the special Awards Presentation Event on 6th December at the four star St Johns Hotel Solihull. Comedy was provided by the excellent entertainer Bobby Davro as the after lunch entertainment. 

The 2013 Awards were run in association with Sponsors Clos-o-Mat, Ophardt and TWC. The four national tourism bodies – Visit England, Visit Scotland, Visit Wales and The Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Airdri, Danfo, Bonasystems, Lepicol, SCA Tork, and Willings Services supported this year’s Awards.

Full details of the 2013 Awards results are shown on the 2013 Winners tababove

The 2014 Loo of the Year Awards special Event was held on 5th December 2013.

A day time event from 10.30 - 15.45, enjoy excellent hospitality, entertainment by Bobby Davro, networking with the leaders in washroom provison and the unique opportunity to celebrate the very best loos in the UK. See below for details email information@loo.co.uk or phone 01403 258779 NOW!

21 November, 2013

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 419 470 or email info@bonasystems.com

Danfo have been a loyal supporter of Loo of the Year Awards and are a leading supplier of toilets in the UK.

Since the company was founded in 1969, Danfo are extremely proud of having delivered thousands of toilet units in Sweden and worldwide.

Bespoke Public Toilets make for better installations. With Danfo, your needs are always the starting point. They provide public toilets of the highest quality, designed and built for the customer. Whatever the clients circumstances, Danfo can provide a suitable toilet solution.

Quality is their keyword and they deliver an unsurpassed product and the best service imaginable, throughout the sales process and afterwards. Always with a professional approach and a great commitment.

For more information contact 020 8380 7370 or email enquiries@danfo.co.uk

The scheme is Clos-o-Mat’s service and maintenance package for ‘out of home’ accessible toilets, including Changing Places toilets and hygiene rooms, which it has supplied. 

Under the plan, the company’s team of in-house, specially trained engineers undertake annual maintenance of ALL the key equipment provided by Clos-o-Mat in the toilets. This includes complex technical fittings such as height adjustable changing benches, Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita automatic shower (wash and dry) toilets and hoists.

Further, should there be a problem with any of the equipment, Clos-o-Mat’s engineers will be on site as quickly as possible and undertake whatever steps necessary to remedy the issue and ensure the toilet facility is fully functioning.

Wakefield College is just one customer that has taken advantage of the package, for its two accessible toilet facilities supplied and installed by Clos-o-Mat. Elaborates Diane Henry, Estates Manager, “Due to the installation costs and technical nature of the equipment I believe it would be foolish not to invest in servicing. Servicing helps to ensure optimum performance, minimise operational downtime which would have a negative impact on the potential users of the facility, and helps prolong the equipment’s life.”

Adds Robin Tuffley, Clos-o-Mat marketing manager, ‘When providers have made a significant investment in the provision of an accessible toilet, it is logical to ensure it is operational as much as possible, not only to potentially maximise return on investment but also to optimise that intangible ‘customer service’, especially when to do so adds little pro rata to the annual running costs. 

“We have all know the frustration of needing to go to the toilet when away from home and find the nearest one is out of use. That frustration is significantly increased when you are- or care for someone who is- disabled, and need special facilities.”

Details of the service & maintenance package are available on Clos-o-Mat’s website www.clos-o-mat.com, or via email (info@clos-o-mat.com) or telephone (0161 969 1199).

Founded 50 years ago, Clos-o-Mat is the only company in the UK that can not only supply the full ambit of disabled toilet solutions, but install, project manage, commission and maintain the equipment.

Ophardt provide high quality solutions for public washrooms and for 50 years has been synonymous with functionality and quality in the realm of dispensing and dosage systems.

Starting from the delivery date they offer a five year manufacturers warranty for their SanTRAL stainless steel products which goes beyond the legal requirement of two- year general liability for material defects, provided products are used as intended and with original Ophardt hygiene parts.

All SanTRAL Classic stainless steel products are standard equipped with a durable Anti-Fingerprint- Coating (AFP). AFP ensures noticeable reduction of visable fingerprints during use. Additionally its sustainability simplifies cleaning and care – this saves time and cost.

In contrast to nano-based coatings the SanTRAL Anti- Fingerprint- Coating si resistant against standard cleaning agents and AFP-equipped dispensers always look clean and hygienic, thus
motivating people to wash their hands.

This is the must attend Event for all those involved in ‘away from home’ toilets – toilet providers, washroom equipment, product and service suppliers, directors, management and importantly toilet attendants and cleaning staff.

This is an ideal opportunity for you/your organisation to help us celebrate the very best in “away from home” toilets. In addition to presentation of awards there will also be a sparkling wine reception, four course meal with wine, an exhibition with the latest products and services and entertainment from Bobby Davro, the star of many TV shows, most recently Dancing on Ice and EastEnders, and a regular contributor to various TV programmes. 

A cost effective way to provide hospitality to your staff, clients and prospects. As all of the attendees will be involved in the provision of toilets/washroom services, this also provides excellent sponsorship and networking opportunities.

For more details please contact information@loo.co.uk or phone on 01403 258779

Tork toilet tissue, paper hand towels and soaps are found in millions of washrooms around the world. Tork is a brand of SCA, a global hygiene group and Europe’s largest private forest owner.

Tork offers a range of products for away-from-home washrooms, healthcare, food service and industry. These include hand towels, toilet tissue, liquid soaps and air fresheners as well as wipers, centrefeed rolls and napkins.

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.

In order to meet the conditions for joining the Single European currency, all citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland must be made aware that the phrase 'Spending a Penny' is not to be used after 31st December 2013.

From this date, the correct terminology will be: 'Euronating'.

BBC ALBA – Monday 3 June 2013 - 9 – 10pm  

Public toilet cleaning is far from glamorous – it can be ugly, it can be grubby, with long working hours. It is often a very lonely job, but someone’s got to do it.

A lighthearted programme on BBC ALBA ‘Trusadh: Gaisgich nan Goireasan – The Ladies and Gents’ offers an insight into what it’s like to be a public toilet cleaner in Scotland in the run up to the 25th annual ‘Loo of the Year Awards 2012’, dubbed the ‘Toilet Oscars’.

This heartwarming documentary lifts the lid on the lives of some of the men and women who keep the Nation’s ever decreasing quota of public toilets flushing. We join cleaners in Glasgow where drug taking and prostitution are among the daily challenges, and travel to the Hebrides where wind-blown sand is the biggest enemy for one of Scotland’s oldest toilet cleaners.

In the programme we hear from Robert Smith and Mo Gallagher who together travel round Glasgow each day keeping the city’s automatic toilets flushing. As part of their job they try to estimate the average usage for toilet paper. Currently it is “eight sheets” per visit. They also regularly find objects left behind including umbrellas, walking sticks and even crutches.

New automatic toilets installed in Glasgow have helped to reduce drug and social problems in the cubicles, however, problematic customers are still a daily challenge for Robert and Mo. 

Mo said: “There have been times when I’ve felt intimidated. I’m not an aggressive person so when you do have to move people on they do get mouthy, they do get verbally aggressive. With regards to the police officers and individuals, that can led to an exclusion so they are aware of this and they tend not to have the paraphernalia on them, they tend to dispose of them in the bin and it’s my job to get them out of harms way – not ideal.”

Robert added: “The council removed 26 boxes from me full of needles.”

Part of Robert’s job is to check the meters at the former Edwardian underground toilets at St Vincent Place (Glasgow) once a week. It is a dark and dingy place down there and every time Robert walks past the old office he feels the presence of figures from the past. “Down in the gent’s side ... Although you had an attendant they wouldn’t see who was going by and you had a few problems ...”

Agnes Maclennan (75) from the Isle of Lewis is one of Scotland’s oldest toilet cleaners who looks after the public toilets and summer camping facilities in the coastal beauty spot of Uig. Agnes starts at 9.30am and her main challenge is managing the sand and the water brought in by customers from the beach all day long during the summer.

Agnes said: “It’s not twice a day you need to be here but three times. They get well used. They are very popular. The men are cleaner and tidier, far better than the females.”

In Aberdeen, council attendants and good friends Kathleen Kidd and Diane Bellingham sing as they shine the urinals: “you’ve got to be happy at your work” said Kathleen.

Diane, who has been in this job for five years, said: “It’s a job and there are not a lot of jobs out there and I like what I do……I love it.”

Janet Stewart from Inverness is a Highland Council employee who also loves what she does. Loud tunes for the early morning clean are a must for Janet. “I’m my own boss – I just like being on my own cleaning – I didn’t plan on being a cleaner, I wanted to go to college to be a hairdresser but it didn’t work out that way.”

Montrose based Flo Kenny, has been a toilet attendant for 26 years for Angus Council and takes great pride in her job. “I find if I go to another toilet I compare it and say…..oh I wouldn’t do that.”

The little extras are important to Flo who brings in plants, teddy bears and trinkets and has flowers on the sinks as she feels it brightens up the experience. At Christmas time Flo even likes to dress up the toilets by draping tinsel round urinals, saying: “It’s a laugh”.

John ‘Bertie’ Mackenzie from Staffin lost his job when the public toilets closed two years ago. He is now campaigning for more public toilets to be available in the area and says: “It’s only natural for us all to need the toilet no matter when it is. And without facilities what is anyone supposed to do. But now I think the only answer is to take photos and send them to the local newspaper or that you film it.”

In Horsham, England Mike Bone (a former washroom salesman) and his wife Donna lead the passionate family team behind the annual Loo awards and claim to “have the bug for toilets”. The youngest family member Riley (3) also likes to take part in toilet inspections.

It is edge of their seats time as the finalists wait to hear who will get to swap the cleaner’s tabard for glad rags and head to Birmingham for the award ceremony.

As the programme explores some of the lesser known temples of convenience, it also looks at the past present and future of Scotland’s humble public ‘cludgie’, as numbers have been cut by around 40 percent in recent decades - a public inconvenience according to some! 

‘Trusadh: Gaisgich nan Goireasan – The Ladies and Gents’ has been produced for BBC ALBA by MacTV and will be transmitted on Monday 3 June at 9.00pm.

 BBC ALBA is available on the following platforms:

• Sky 143 (UK)
• Freeview / You View 8 (Scotland only)
• Virgin Media 188 (UK)
• Freesat 110 (UK)
• BT Vision 8 (Scotland only)
• Smallworld 170 (Ayrshire and North West England)
• Live on BBC iPlayer (UK)
• 10 hours of content per week available to view on demand via the BBC PC iPlayer and the BBC iPlayer on Virgin Media

30 May 2013

If you have a disability, going to the toilet ‘away from home’ can be difficult, especially if you need the help of a carer. Changing Places toilets have more space, to accommodate a disabled person, wheelchair and up to two carers, and, as standard include an adult-sized changing bench, hoist and privacy screen, as well as a peninsular toilet and washbasin. Under the 2013 Building Regulations Approved Document M, it is now ‘desirable’ to include a hygiene room/Changing Places toilet.

So far, some 500 Changing Places toilets have already been opened at venues across the UK, many of which have been supplied by Clos-o-Mat.  Car parks to shopping centres and every public environment in between are reporting seeing an increase in visitor numbers, and positive feedback, as a result of having installed a Changing Places toilet, especially when they have further included a Clos-o-Mat ‘wash and dry’ (automatic) toilet in place of a conventional WC.

A Clos-o-Mat looks like a traditional toilet- and can be used as such- but has added features of integrated douching and drying. The user therefore doesn’t have to clean- or be cleaned- with toilet tissue, enhancing independence, dignity, and hygiene for all involved. The floor-mounted Clos-o-Mat Palma Vita can be tailored to individual requirements with a range of options from support arms to ‘soft touch’ operation; the wall-hung Lima Lifter is fully height adjustable, making it ideal for multi-user environments.

Clos-o-Mat supports its products with comprehensive, in-house design advice, installation, commissioning and on-going service & maintenance, helping ensure Britain’s 11million registered disabled people can undertake their personal hygiene needs, in and out of the home, in the most appropriate environment.
www.clos-o-mat.com 

TWC is the only company in the UK to specialise exclusively in toilet and washroom deep clean and infection control treatments

We all know and recognise that these areas are the main cause of concern in all organisations for the spreading of germs, bacteria and viruses due mainly to user complacency regarding hygiene

TWC’s deep clean services range from professional deep cleans to intensive clinical treatments incorporating unique, ground-breaking green anti-microbial technology. This will not only eliminate harmful and dangerous germs and bacteria on contact, but also protect treated surfaces from any re-contamination for up to 12 months with a single application 

Powered by MonoFoil, this treatment emphatically out-performs existing sanitising options which are only effective for just a few minutes after application and do not prevent future re-contamination

Initially developed in the USA to protect the US Military, the MonoFoil technology is now used by many major corporations including Disney, Boeing, NBA, Nestle and Coors to continually inhibit any microbial growth, control odours and protect all surfaces and other areas from any cross-contamination

TWC’s infection control treatment is universal in application and not just restricted to toilet and washrooms. It can be used on any surface, in any area, internally or externally

Enjoy the peace of mind TWC treatments will give you, knowing that the health and hygiene standards of your facilities will not only impress all visitors and employees, but also offer them unparalleled protection and vastly reduce the risk of cross-contamination into other areas of your establishment

Remember, your users are your most fervent critics 

Take advantage of a TWC consultation and demonstration of the exceptional performance of this unique anti-microbial technology

Visit the TWC website at www.twclimited.co.uk Phone 0845 680 3973 
or Email info@twclimited.co.uk

Dear Sirs 
Last week while on holiday I visited Hastings. We parked in what I am guessing was the main car park along the front and while we were there my daughter needed to visit the toilets.

All I can say is OH MY GOD! How clean were they! There was nothing at all that could be faulted. They were immaculate. No toilet paper over the floor, no rubbish anywhere. We ended up visiting Hastings 3 times and each time we ended up using the toilets and never once were they anything other than perfect.

Those toilets are a credit to Hastings, please pass on my thanks to the
cleaners of these toilets as they do an outstanding job.

I am known as being quick to complain if something is wrong, but equally I do also like to give praise when it is due. 

Yours faithfully 

K G Northampton

Loo of the Year Awards is promoted by The British Toilet Association and is supported again in 2013 by Lepicol, a probiotic formulation specifically developed to help maintain healthy bowels – naturally.

Mike Bone – Managing Director of Loo of the Year Awards says
“The main awards were introduced in 1987, recognising the very best ‘away from home’ toilets. Commercial companies, other organisations and local authorities enter their toilets into the award on an annual basis and recognise the 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”.

“This new category was introduced for the first time in 2012 to enable the general public to nominate their own ‘loo’ for an award”.

Named the Loo of the Year Awards - Lepicol ‘Home Throne’ Award, members of the public can enter any domestic loo within their home. Judges will be looking at criteria such as decor and maintenance, fixtures and fittings, cleanliness and quirkiness.

“We know that many households in Britain are proud of their loos and have some very quirky habits when it comes to spending time in there.”
Says Lizzie Hardy – Lepicol

“From recent research Lepicol conducted we found that 31% of people use their mobile phones whilst on the toilet and 22% have magazines, papers and books on hand to read. We think it’s time to show the world how much your loo means to you!”

The winner will be invited to the Loo of the Year Awards presentation event to be held on Friday 6th December at the elegant four star St Johns Hotel in Solihull and receive two nights dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation for two, courtesy of the hotel.

Any type of 'away from home' toilet can be nominated or entered in the competition, in any of the sixty separate Awards categories listed on the entry form. Entries are accepted from anywhere in the Channel Islands.

Anyone can nominate - staff, customers, visitors, managers, owners or contractors. Entries need to be authorised by owners or managers, prior to payment of relevant entry fees which cover the inspection visit(s).