On 20th July the Dringhouses Sports and Social Club held a ‘grand opening’ for their new accessible toilet at the weekly musical afternoon.
These weekly sessions are well-loved by the local community, particularly older people living alone, with the room packed full. The sessions used to take place at the nearby Cross Keys pub but moved into the larger venue of the Dringhouses Sports and Social Club which can accommodate more attendees.
Some residents with a disability were unable to attend these sessions due to there being no accessible toilet. So a fundraising campaign was launched, and with the help of a grant from the Dringhouses & Woodthorpe Ward Committee, the local building firm Kitson Builders constructed the new facility.
Before the toilet was officially opened, the Vintage Rhythms Dance Band serenaded the audience with pitch-perfect trombones and trumpets playing songs of yesteryear.
During the interval – and to the audience’s surprise – a toilet seat covered with paper was brought out onto the stage. It was held aloft by Cllr Stephen Fenton and music session organiser and key fundraiser Ken Waller. After a 5 second countdown, a trombone was thrust through the toilet seat and let out a triumphant toot of success as the audience applauded.
Click here to watch the exciting moment for yourself!
Cllr Stephen Fenton said “It’s fantastic that ward funding has been able to help deliver this new facility which makes this community venue more accessible. The weekly music sessions provide a great opportunity for people who are lonely or isolated to get out and interact and form new friendship groups. I’d like to thank the volunteers who organise these sessions and have led the fundraising efforts which have enabled these improvements to happen.
“My pleasure at this achievement is tempered by the uncertainty that hangs over the future of ward funding, after the new Labour council administration announced that they would be making changes to how ward funding works. No details have been provided as yet, and it would be a real shame if similar schemes could not be supported in future.”
Many thanks to Kitson builders who constructed the new accessible toilet as well as Vintage Rhythms Dance Band and the other bands for entertaining the local community with regular music sessions.