In an election campaign of personal ‘firsts’ may I crave your indulgence for just one more? Three weeks ago, I was being driven to my first cattle market by the leader of the Scottish Tories. It seemed then that no other encounter could be quite so esoteric.
“Hold my beer,” say the Grangemouth ‘Loo Crew’, a group of determined women who forced their local council into a U-turn on the u-bends. And so, here is my first-ever review of a public convenience.
“The men’s and women’s toilets situated at the far end of Grangemouth’s La Porte shopping centre, showcase the industrial heritage of the Clackmannanshire region. Built in 1970, the visitor is first drawn to the toilets’ robust stone livery: an eye-catching, though minimalist sarcophagus bearing hints of rococo. We’re not talking Gaudi’s sinewy concrete here but, all the same, they’re characterised by a pleasing brutalism which invites more detailed scrutiny.
“The spacious interior is suffused with natural light and the user is rewarded with pleasing views of the Ochils if he looks up through the slatted windows while taking care not to neglect the primary function which has beckoned him hither. An assortment of hand-picked, organic grooming products creates a rewarding ablutionary experience while supporting a gold standard in personal hygiene.”
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Yet, if the council panjandrums had had their way this vital facility would have gone the way of much else in a region showing the effects of political indifference and corporate vandalism. The council had insisted that maintaining these toilets cost around £25k per year and duly shut them in 2023. Then, a group of local volunteers and shop-owners embarked on the successful campaign that saw them re-opened this February.
June Ramage, who helps run a charity shop adjacent to the toilets, says it was more than simply about keeping them open. “We’ve established a community hub with the aim of re-vitalising the shopping centre,” she says. “This was once a thriving space but has suffered from the effects of unemployment and........