Becky welcomes Lee Batstone, Headteacher of Madley Primary School, to the next episode of the Bog Cast. Lee has led the school for 20 years, overseeing 176 pupils in a unique village setting that blends rural and urban communities. Under his leadership, Madley Primary has embraced innovation and continuous improvement, including the often-overlooked areas of school life: lunchtimes and toilets.

Lee first entered the Loo of the Year Awards in 2021, winning the Educational Cup. For him, the awards are about more than recognition, they are an opportunity to invite external scrutiny and ensure the school provides the safest and most supportive environment possible. He also celebrated success in the Washroom Cleaner Awards, highlighting the essential role cleaners play in safeguarding children through maintaining clean, safe washrooms.

Toilets, Lee explains, can be a place of fear or discomfort for children, yet they are essential for health, dignity, and concentration. By making washrooms comfortable and inviting, schools can prevent both short- and long-term health problems, encouraging children to drink more and use facilities regularly without embarrassment. There is also an element of trust involved, children must feel confident to use the toilets freely during breaks or lessons, knowing the spaces are safe, clean, and respected.

Looking ahead, Lee and the children at Madley Primary are planning a project in collaboration with the Loo of the Year Awards to improve and redesign the school’s toilets. The aim is to make the facilities more inviting and functional, while keeping costs manageable by involving pupils and parents in the process. This initiative also reflects one of the school’s core values: “always leave something better than you found it,” with children actively participating in the project and taking responsibility for their environment.

The episode also touches on inclusivity and accessibility. Lee discusses barriers faced by children with both visible and hidden disabilities, and how the school ensures consumables and facilities align with their long-standing Green Flag Eco School Award principles. Toilets, he believes, are a small investment with a huge impact, yet they are often undervalued in school planning and policy.

Lee addresses the ethical debates around when children should be allowed to use the toilet, particularly as schools encourage healthy hydration throughout the day. Children cannot concentrate when they need the toilet, and accidents can affect their dignity and confidence. Ensuring toilets are safe, hygienic, and welcoming is not just the responsibility of the headteacher or governors, it is a collective effort involving staff, parents, and pupils alike.

Finally, Lee reflects on the broader significance of awards. For him, recognition should always be sought for the right reasons. The Loo of the Year Awards represent part of a holistic approach to education, encompassing academic achievement, social development, emotional wellbeing, and the creation of a nurturing school environment. In Lee’s eyes, investing in toilets is an investment in children’s learning, health, and confidence.

to find out more about:

Madley School www.madleyprimaryschool.co.uk or

LinkedIn for Lee - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-batstone-6002a529/

for more information about Loo of The Year Awards:- www.loo.co.uk.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-wall-bem-a69b7a

Becky welcomes Stefan Thomas to the second Bog Cast from the Loo of the Year Awards and promises listeners that this episode goes far beyond toilet humour (although there is still plenty of that!).

Stefan is widely known for his expertise in networking and relationship building, and is the author of Business Networking for Dummies, Instant Networking and Win The Room. Becky and Stefan reflect on how they first met at a Herefordshire Means Business event, where conversations quickly turned into meaningful connections, proving Stefan’s core belief that conversations, when approached in the right way, can naturally lead to opportunities and even sales.

They discuss how Stefan felt arriving at the Loo of the Year Awards as keynote speaker, curious, excited, and perhaps not quite knowing what to expect and the overwhelmingly positive response he received afterwards. He shares what part he played in the 2025 Awards in January 2026 and speaks passionately about how important it is that winners receive the recognition they truly deserve.

The conversation then moves to something deeper. Becky and Stefan talk openly about disabilities, both seen and unseen and the real barriers people face in washrooms every day. Stefan candidly shares his experiences of living with ulcerative colitis and the possibility of prostate cancer, explaining how toilets now heavily influence his decisions on where he shops, eats and socialises. As a young man, he admits he never considered the importance of accessible, clean facilities, until diagnosis changed everything.

For Stefan, the first thing he checks at any venue is the toilets. When planning an event, he believes their standard reflects directly on his business. After all, using the toilet is something everyone in the world has in common, so why don’t we talk about it more openly?

When Becky asks if there is another book in him, Stefan laughs. Post-Covid, he believes many people struggle with networking face to face, so perhaps there is another chapter yet to be written.

Contact Stefan on :

Website www.stefanthomas.biz

Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanthomasbiz

Contact us on:

Website: www.loo.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-wall-bem-a69b7a

Welcome to the first bog cast from Loo from the Year Awards.

Be ready for a lot of toilet puns!

Husband and wife team, Becky and Charles talk about how they started working in toilets, years ago, with young farmers and point to point events. Working from 1996 to 2000, they reached a point where they realised that the industry was changing and they decided that a big investment was needed, or, as they chose, they sold the business.

Their lives went down a different path, until Charles was best man at a wedding where the conversation the following day wasn’t about the beauty of the bride or the flowers, but how bad the toilets were. This is when they went back into toilets and started a company called A Plush Flush.

Becky and Charles first heard about the Loo of the Year Awards after entering with their business. – where they went for the luxury end of the market. Several years later, they had the opportunity to buy the Loo of the Year Awards, and after Covid, they did just that.

They talk about how they go out of their way to ensure recipients of the awards are personally delivered to them if they are unable to attend the awards ceremony.

Over the relatively short time they’ve run the awards events, they have learned a lot and have grown their team and have worked with other small businesses to support their own on – including a new accountant and a PR company.

It’s obvious hearing them talk about their business that they’re passionate about it, and there are certainly many opportunities for toilet jokes!

Join Becky and Charles for future podcasts where you can learn a whole range of things about everything loos.

Contact us on:

Website: www.loo.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-wall-bem-a69b7a7b/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/charles.wall.1485