Flushed with success: Brierley Hill Civic Hall win high praise at awards after toilet refurb update

At the Dudley Council for Voluntary Service (DCVS) 50th Anniversary AGM and awards it was praised as a 'spectacular venue'.

Since it was taken over by DCVS in 2020, general manager James Challis has led a small team which has successfully put on 150 events annually post-Covid.

The Bank Street venue is now run on a not-for-profit basis and any money made is put back into renovation and running costs. They can also apply for funding for associated projects.

Recently they were provided with a grant from the Commonwealth Games Inclusive Communities Fund (ICF) for £100,000 to refurbish the front of house toilets as well as the downstairs and backstage ones.

A spokesman for the fund said: "The ICF was designed to support communities across the West Midlands by bringing to life solutions that addressed challenges in their neighbourhoods and local areas.

"The fund was inspired by the momentum generated by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and was made available by the UK Government through the department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).

"The West Midlands Combined Authority oversaw the fund, while the Heart of England Community Foundation administered the funding across the region and we were delighted to award the grants for some great causes."

At the ceremony at Dudley Town Hall, mayor Hilary Bills said: “I was the councillor in charge of culture back in 2013 when I was approached by Andy Gray (deputy chief officer) about DCVS taking over the running of the Civic.

"The other councillors at the time were nervous about the prospect but I said 'what have we got to lose?' We are losing £150k a year on it anyway – we might as well give it to DCVS and see what they can do with it.

"Well, I’m pleased to say - Brierley Hill Civic – look at you now! And I personally want to thank you Andy and the team there for making that gamble pay off for me! It's truly a spectacular venue.”

Mr Challis said: "The refurbished toilets really do look great and illustrate how we are constantly keeping on top of what needs to be done to enhance the customer experience here.

"As a charity-run venue, we understand our job is giving back to the community, and people are certainly doing that – enhancing and upgrading the facilities for them will ensure that they return and we would like to thank the combined authority and all other involved parties for the money we received."