TO some, it might look like any other toilet block.
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But to the Old Church on the Hill, it’s relieving the strain of outdated facilities.
The Quarry Hill venue has been busting for a wheelchair accessible toilet for years.
It ran a successful fundraising campaign in 2016 called ‘Our loo just won’t do’ as part of a broader initiative called the Big Give, which raised thousands of dollars.
Today, the Old Church on the Hill and its supporters celebrated the completion of the $45,000 project.
“It’s been very much a community-owned project, right from the very beginning,” Old Church on the Hill founder and manager Rose Vincent said.
“We’ve wanted to make it a space that everyone feels at home in and welcome to being a part of.”
Ms Vincent said it was evident from ‘very early on’ that wheelchairs didn’t fit into the old toilet block.
Furthermore, she said some people found the former amenities ‘a little bit scary’.
“We’ve had some quite funny stories about what’s happened with the toilets, including someone who got locked into one because the door handle came off,” Ms Vincent said.
In 2016, she told the Bendigo Advertiser a lack of wheelchair accessible toilets meant some people had been unable to attend events.
A range of community activities are hosted at the former church site.
Ms Vincent was grateful to all the individuals, groups and organisations who had made the new toilet block a reality.
Support came from the City of Greater Bendigo, the federal government, and from fundraising events.
Businesses also lent their support.
City of Greater Bendigo deputy mayor Jennifer Alden was hopeful the new facilities would help the venue continue to thrive.
She had the honour of cutting the toilet paper ribbon and declaring the new toilet block open.