Villagers in Cley next the Sea are flushed with joy that their new community toilet is about to open.
The Cley Curloo, next to the village hall, is the result of almost two years’ hard work and fundraising.
Dr Victoria Holliday, chairman of Cley Parish Council, said the toilet cost £35,800, entirely funded by grants and donations.
The project began in the autumn of 2018.
Dr Holliday said: “There was no accessible public loo in Cley, a village welcoming thousands of visitors a year to browse its shops, admire its breathtaking church, and enjoy beautiful countryside and coastal walks. The parish council was paying for a Portaloo which wasn’t terribly satisfactory and certainly not easy to use.”
The toilet is named because the village’s symbol is the curlew, and many of the wading birds can be seen the nearby marshes over the winter months.
Dr Holliday said the project was made possible thanks to Norwich-based Hudson Architects, which agreed to design the toilet, and Cley Village Hall, which let it be built on their land.
The project was awarded a North Norfolk District Council Big Society grant in December 2019, and more money came from the Geoffrey Watling Charity and a ‘pop-up’ cafe.
MORE: ‘One brick at a time’ village takes fresh approach in campaign for new looIndividual bricks were also sponsored, with the village’s Picnic Fayre delicatessen playing a central role in this. Its owners, Vic and John Pryor, provided a hamper for a raffle and also sold ‘Have a pee in Cley next the Sea’ t-shirts.
More funds were raised online via gofundme.com, and an auction of promises organised by James Glennie, raised £10,000 in a couple of hours.
Dr Holliday said a local builder, Chris Lubbock, was able to work through the lockdown to get the toilet ready for the summer holidays.
She said: “The quality of build is tremendous, many thanks to his hardworking crew.
“Having raised the money to build this magnificent amenity, we now need to raise all the money to keep it open.
“We’re expecting that grateful visitors will be happy to pay to ‘have a pee in Cley next the Sea’, so have built in a donation box and designed a QR code to take them to our fundraising page.”
There will be an opening ceremony on July 20 at 3pm, which will be streamed on the parish council’s Facebook page.
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