Audlem on national TV

The campaign to save and renovate Audlem's public toilets looks as if it might hit the national airwaves on Monday – BBC1 from 7.00pm, we understand.

BBC1's The One Show came to the village recently and interviewed four Audlem parish councillors plus young Matthew Furber outside the toilets. Richard Furber, Mike Hill (hidden, as is Matthew in the photo), Irene Stockton and Kate Down discussed the reason the toilets must be saved with reporter Lucy Siegle.

While much of the discussion may not make it onto the TV screen, Audlem's argument revolved around how many new shops had opened in the past eighteen months and why visitors were vital to help support these businesses. Many come to walk or visit the canal and have driven a good distance. A village with so many visitors, it was said, needs decent public toilets.

By good fortune, two visitors from South Wales were on the car park as the BBC arrived. Keith and Julie Roberts, pictured here with Lucy Siegle, told her they love visiting Audlem and that it's one of the few places that's also kept its car park free.

The toilets desperately need refurbishing and Audlem Online's story on Thursday indicates that the funding may now be forthcoming.

The One Show's interest, it is thought, was triggered by so many public toilets closing around the country, including all but one in Manchester while Liverpool and Birmingham have lost theirs. Audlem, however, is working to have its facilities improved.

Lucy Siegle has contributed to a range of TV and radio programmes and has written for magazines including Marie Claire, Grazia and Elle. She specialises in environmental issues on TV and has appeared on ITV's The 5 O'Clock Show with Richard Hammond; BBC1's The One Show where she is a regular reporter; Five's The Wright Stuff; Sky News and on radio on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours.

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