A charity which gives people the chance to enjoy gardening and experience sustainable living has made their participation more rewarding – thanks to a Midlands outdoors buildings firm.
Forest Harvest, which runs workshops and open days devoted to sustainability and the environment, has taken delivery of a new amenity building which was installed at its Woodmill base, a smallholding in Yoxall, near Burton.
Measuring two metres by two metres, the building is made of recycled composite materials and has one very fundamental use – as an outdoor loo.
But it isn’t just any outdoor toilet, according to the charity’s users, says Forest Harvest founder Nick Burton, because they reckon it’s the poshest outdoor loo they’ve ever seen.
The building was manufactured and supplied by outdoors buildings firm Roundpeg Outdoor Buildings, which is based about a mile away and took about seven hours to erect it, before Nick moved in to install an eco-friendly compost toilet.
It may not be the most glamorous addition to Forest Harvest, but Nick says that it has made a world of difference, because it enables the charity’s users to stay longer at the project and do some gardening.
He said: “Every Wednesday we host our Community Bloom Group, where people are invited along to get together and enjoy the outdoors.
“We’ve been running the project since 2008 but we’re at a new site now, so our amenities are very limited, including no access to toilets.
“Inevitably, that put a limit on the time people were able to spend with us and means that they can’t always come and do some gardening, which is really good for mental health.
“With our new posh toilet block, they can, which is a huge bonus, especially since it didn’t need planning permission and was built in a matter of hours.”
Sallyann Smith, co-founder of Roundpeg Outdoor Buildings, said the toilet block has been made with full garden room specification, including insulation, laminate flooring, EPDM and a solid uPVC door and windows fitted with obscure glass.
Sally said: “The building is completely watertight and warm and we’re really pleased that it has made such a big difference to everybody who attends Forest Harvest’s Wednesday sessions.
“We’ve supplied outdoors buildings that have been used in many different ways, but this is a new one on us and it underlines the advantages and flexibility of these kind of structures.”
For more information contact www.roundpegoutdoorbuildings.co.uk
