Guests at this year’s National Eisteddfod have voiced their anger at the state of the festival’s toilets, which they claimed were “not fit for purpose.”
After arriving at both the main site and the campsite, guests at the national celebration of arts and culture in Tregaron, Ceredigion, said they were upset to see that many of the toilets were blocked, the floors were dirty and many of the facilities had no running water for handwashing.
Many pointed out the lack of facilities for women on their periods and one woman pointed out that, although the disabled toilet was fully fitted out with handrails and an alarm cord, the entrance was on a raised step which was not wheelchair-accessible. She told the BBC: “They need to look at the facilities that they put on the caravan field and the main Eisteddfod site itself. It’s just not good enough.” You can get more Welsh news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Another woman said the toilets are "the worst we have ever experienced" at the event.
The Eisteddfod’s chief executive, Betsan Moses, said: “It was brought to our attention at the beginning of the week there were issues. We spoke to the cleaners, they addressed the issues, but of course now we have further issues. So we’re working in partnership with different companies to ensure that we have additional staff to address these issues.”
The National Eisteddfod started on July 30 and ends on August 6, with its “little brother,” the Maes B music festival, running from August 2 to August 6. Festival goers delivered a spinetingling rendition of Yma O Hyd on Sunday evening which was heard for miles around.
When the Eisteddfod put out a tender for its toilet, shower and wet waste services in February, the official statement read: “This is a highly prestigious event which attracts major media interest - tv, radio, internet & newspaper coverage is provided in Welsh, English, and many other languages.
“This amount of media coverage means that all aspects of the event are under scrutiny, and any unsatisfactory service provided to the paying public tends to attract negative interest by the media. The importance of an efficient and professional toilet and showers contractor is therefore of paramount importance to the success of the event.”
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