Meeting planned in hope of finding a way to reopen Grangemouth's public toilets

Pamela Young has never been involved in any kind of campaigning before, but as a disabled person – and as a mum – she was shocked when Falkirk Council closed the public toilets in La Porte Precinct in a bid to save cash.

Now, she has recruited a group of volunteers – known as the ‘Loo Crew’ – who have been handing out flyers and talking to people to tell them about the meeting on Thursday in Bowhouse Community Centre.

Falkirk Council has recently opened a new disabled toilet in Grangemouth Library, at a cost of £25,000. But Pamela says that while this is welcome, it does not replace the town centre facility, which disabled people with a Radar key could use at any time.

“It’s great to have but it’s only one toilet and it’s still a bit far away from the main areas of the town, especially for elderly people.”

When commenting on a Facebook post about the new facility, she found another Grangemouth resident, June Ramage, had similar thoughts. The two of them decided that they should try to do something about it and they were very grateful to community councillor Adam Gillies, who gave them advice and support to get the ball rolling.

Pamela said: “We were very nervous at first about it but everyone has been really supportive.”

Mum-of-three, Pamela has a neurological condition that means she often needs the toilet urgently. But she has been amazed at the stories she has been hearing about just how important access to a toilet is to many other people.

“We’ve actually heard stories about people having accidents in the shops because they can’t get to a toilet. It’s such a shame,” she said. “And it’s got to the stage that a lot of people are avoiding the town now because there is no public toilet. It’s not as simple as just using shop toilets – a lot of them are up flights of stairs or in stockrooms, so they are reluctant to let people use them and you can see where they are coming from.”

Pamela and June are now hoping that with enough volunteers, the community will be able to re-open the toilets in the way Bo’ness residents did recently.

Pamela said: “We have hundreds of ideas! But we need to see how many people want to be involved and take it from there.”

From getting a discount on their leaflets to shopkeepers displaying their posters, many townspeople have been showing their support. Willie Stewart, a volunteer at a local charity shop, has also been helping raise awareness of the meeting. They are also very grateful for the free use of a large hall in Bowhouse Community Centre, which has disabled access, to hold the meeting.

As far as Pamela is concerned, the toilets – which opened in 1976 – are a vital part of the community.

“They were always kept really clean and they were well used,” she said. “It’s not just old people and kids, there are also taxi drivers, lorry drivers, delivery drivers – there’s always somebody that needs a toilet.”

If people can’t attend the meeting, the Loo Crew are asking them to send personal statements, explaining how the closure has affected them.

Pamela stresses that the meeting is just the first step towards reopening the loos.

“Grangemouth is a great community – we just need people to get together in the one place at the one time. We’re full of ideas – it’s just getting it up and running!” she said. “No-one is saying it’s going to be easy but there are hundreds of options for us to look at.”

The meeting to discuss the campaign to reopen Grangemouth public toilets is on Thursday, September 14 in Bowhouse Community Centre at 7.30 pm.