A SHOPPING centre in Scotland– the Centre Livingston – has been judged to have the best public ‘loos’ in the UK as winners of the Loo of the Year Awards are announced (Weds Jan 15).
Eighteen companies and individuals are flush with success today after receiving trophies at the annual awards ceremony that took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull.
More than 1,500 businesses from across the UK entered the annual awards last year to have their washrooms and toilet facilities judged by a team of independent inspectors. Run by businesswoman Becky Wall BEM, the scheme is now in its 37th year of celebrating excellence when it comes to facilities, we all need to use.
“It’s a real privilege for our inspectors to travel the country and support businesses and organisations to improve their washroom facilities and toilets which, after all, is part of great customer service,” Becky said.
“To have a day where we can celebrate the best of the best and reward businesses and individuals for really caring about this important aspect of our lives is wonderful.”
The Centre Livingston took the overall award for Loo of the Year and is the 28th largest shopping centre in the UK.
Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said “We are delighted to be the winners of the Loo of the Year Awards which is testament to the fantastic work our team do every day to ensure our shoppers have a great experience when they visit us.”
Another winner was washroom technician Eva Tamaz-Szora, who works at the Bryndu Caravan Park in the Brecon Beacons. She won the UK title after being initially named as the best washroom technician in Wales.
Eva said: “I’m so honoured to receive such an award and to be seen as someone who takes pride in what I do to ensure our guests are cared for when they visit our site.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Martin Jackaman (75) who lives in Nottingham. Martin has been integral to the Changing Places Toilet Campaign which aims to get more fully accessible toilets in public places for those with complex needs and for their carers.
A former social worker Martin realised many families were having to change their sons and daughters on dirty toilet floors and others simply didn’t have ‘days out’ or shopping trips because there was no access to toilet facilities.
Along with others, he’s succeeded in getting more than 2,500 such toilets open across the country, and he’s been integral in getting building regulations adjusted for public buildings, including so-called changing places toilets. These will often have additional facilities such as hoists, showers, and private facilities within to support carers. Although retired now, Martin is very active with the campaign as a volunteer.
“I’m honoured to have received this award, which was a complete surprise. I remember being so appalled that some families were excluded from activities most of us take for granted because they couldn’t access suitable toilets.
“There was huge resistance to change at first, yet working with others, we’ve made real progress. Now, I get emails from families who are able to enjoy day trips or shopping trips because they can access suitable washrooms, and for them, that’s life-changing.
“With medical science evolving so quickly and people living with chronic and complex conditions for longer, the need is greater than ever, and we have to keep going!”
Central to The Loo of the Year awards is a grading scheme where entrants agree to receive an unannounced visit from an inspector. Each washroom is judged upon 101 criteria, including cleanliness, décor, signage, accessibility and customer care.
In 2024, inspectors visited 1,556 businesses that entered the scheme, including pubs, shopping centres, hotels, caravan and camping sites, motorway service stations and companies with staff facilities.
Each premises was graded with 64 businesses getting the highest grading of ‘diamond’; 478 being graded as ‘platinum plus’; 988 as ‘platinum’; 25 rated ‘gold’ and one rated as ‘silver’. Not one business was rated at the basic grading of ‘bronze’.
Lee Radzki, Sales Manager of Essity Professional Hygiene, represents the event’s main sponsor, Tork, said:
“Congratulations to all the winners of the Loo of the Year Awards! It was fantastic to celebrate them all in Birmingham. Tork are incredibly proud to be the headline sponsors and support excellence in hygiene standards. The winners have truly set a high bar with their outstanding facilities, showcasing exceptional cleanliness, accessibility, and customer care.
A big thank you to the team at Loo of the Year for organising another successful event, we look forward to the launch of Loo of the Year 2025 and continuing our partnership.”
The Loo of the Year Awards are sponsored by TORK (a brand under the Essity umbrella) with additional sponsorship provided by P-Wave and entry is now open for the 2025 inspection and awards process. Anyone can nominate a business or organisation for grading, the company then covers the cost of an unannounced inspection and will then receive a grading which they can display (as with food hygiene gradings). The annual day of celebration is open to all entrants to attend when the ‘best of the best’ will be announced. For more information, visit https://www.loo.co.uk