Machynlleth’s public toilets are getting an upgrade thanks to a £28,000 grant.
The public toilets, which only reopened this year, have been awarded the funding by Welsh Government/ Visit Wales to make the facilities more self-sustaining with solar panels and payment gates.
The toilets opened on 10 February after two years of closure.
Councillor Kim Bryan, who is part of the team that secured the funding, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to receive Brilliant Basics funding for Ty Bach Mach.
“Public toilets are a vital part of making our town accessible, welcoming, and inclusive for everyone, from residents to visitors.
“This funding will help us continue to provide clean, safe, and well-maintained facilities by including payment gates, solar panels, a welcome map, and a bike wash right in the heart of Machynlleth.
“It's a big win for the town and a great example of what community-led initiatives can achieve with the right support.”
The toilets were closed in 2023 after continued vandalism drove up running costs.
However, being the only dedicated public toilets in the town, the closure was followed by a public outcry, in which multiple businesses complained that their facilities were being overly used by unpaying visitors.
Machynlleth Town Council agreed to continue running the toilets, owned by Powys County Council, but chose not to set aside enough money to see the toilets operated all year round.
To make the toilets sustainable, the improvements aim to reduce electricity costs by running the facilities on solar power (the installation being supported by Dulas), whilst the payment gates will increase income.
Currently payments to support the toilets, renamed Ty Bach Mach, are only made by donation.
The funding will be used to commission local artist Liz Fenwick to create a map of the town to display outside the toilets, with business sponsorship available.
An integrated flower bed bench will be created by local food resilience group Mach Maethlon.
A new bike wash station will also be installed, supported by the volunteer-run group Beicio Mynydd Dyfi Mountain Biking, for the many tourists who come to the town for the mountain biking opportunities nearby.
MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr Steve Witherden visited the conveniences on a trip to Machynlleth on 15 May, just before the funding was announced.
MP Witherden said: “I met with Cllrs Kim Bryan and Norma McCarten at the recently opened public toilets and was overjoyed to hear that £28,000 of funding has been secured.
“Their success is testament to the power of community organising.
“These toilets will be a big boost to the people of Machynlleth and its local businesses.
“I spoke at the musical fundraiser [for Ty Bach Mach] in the Wynnstay Hotel back in March, and it is just brilliant to see this much progress made in such a short space of time - hats off to them both.”
The grant is part of the £5m Brilliant Basics Fund supporting local authorities and national parks in improving tourist destinations for the benefit of both locals and visitors.