£20K grant for toilet refurb

Foundation backs toilet refurb with £20,000 grant

We're thrilled to share that the Garfield Weston Foundation has awarded Play to the Crowd a generous £20,000 grant to support the refurbishment of the downstairs Stalls toilets at Theatre Royal Winchester.

A vital upgrade for our much-loved theatre

This funding is a huge boost to our ongoing appeal to improve the Stalls toilets – a long-overdue project that's essential to the future of the theatre. These toilets were installed over 25 years ago and have struggled to cope with the 80,000 people who visit us each year.

From broken fittings to frequent flooding, the facilities have become tired, unreliable and increasingly expensive to maintain. Worse still, they affect how people experience our venue – with negative reviews, long queues and out-of-order signs becoming all too common. If left untouched, the problems could one day force us to close our doors, something we're working hard to avoid.

More toilets, less queuing 

The refurbishment will:

• Increase the number of cubicles to cut down queue times 
• Improve the layout for better access and flow 
• Add enclosed, gender-neutral cubicles across the corridor 
• Upgrade the existing toilets with more urinals in the men's 
• Full refurbishment of the existing ladies toilets
• Use water-saving and energy-efficient fittings 
• Bring the Stalls toilets in line with our refurbished bar, foyer, Box Office and Circle toilets 

Our goal is simple – to offer all visitors a more modern, comfortable and reliable experience, with facilities that match the quality of everything else in our building.

A long-standing supporter of our work

This isn't the first time the Garfield Weston Foundation has supported us. In fact, they've backed our front-of-house refurbishments since we first began them back in 2019. We're incredibly grateful to have their continued support as we approach the final phase of the project.

Their £20,000 grant brings us a big step closer to our target – and we're now calling on our brilliant community to help us raise the remaining funds.

Help us reach the finish line

We've launched a fundraising appeal to raise £100,000 to complete this crucial work. If you believe in the power of theatre, if you've ever queued outside a toilet during the interval, or if you simply want to support a venue that means so much to our city – please consider donating.

You can give online via our Crowdfunder page.