Public Conveniences
Lower High Street

Malvern Gazette 5th May 2006

Toilets not reopened for festival FOLK festival visitors queued up to use three portable toilets during the weekend's celebrations in Upton. Residents were expecting public toilets in Lower High Street, closed by Malvern Hills District Council last month, to open for the event. However, head of environmental services Ivor Pumfrey said the council had never agreed to open the toilets for festivals. Referring to the original decision made to close the toilets in February, he pointed out that the council had agreed to mothball the facilities and open them for festivals only if it could not sell them. The council later decided that the sale of the toilets would not take place for six months, while negotiations over their future took place. Council leader Di Rayner authorised the use of portable toilets for the festival, which attracted more than 40 groups of morris dancers. There was a DIY approach to the festivities this year, with no concert marquees, but festival chairman Richard Hannah described the event as a huge success. "It was tremendous fun. Everybody enjoyed themselves and there was a marvellous turnout," he said. A collection taken during Sunday's main procession raised £300, which will be split between Upton charities and Folk Frenzy, a group that teaches young people folk dancing.