THE public toilets at Praa Sands, near Porthleven, have been re-opened thanks to a local volunteer group.

Volunteers from Friends of Praa Sands have been working hard to get the facilities up and running as the school holidays get into full swing. After closing last year, the group stepped in to take over the lease from Cornwall Council.

Volunteer lead Mark Guinn said that volunteers had been working round the clock for the past few weeks to get the toilets replaced, with updated water supplies, repaired floor, and fresh lick of paint ready for the opening, along with health and safety protocol and other measures that were put in place.

Mark said: “Praa Sands is a popular beach all year round, especially in the summer when lots of families come for the day, because it’s safe with the RNLI lifeguards here, and there’s cafes, rentals, and parking. But the lack of WC conveniences has been causing severe issues for visitors and locals alike.”

First visitors to the new toilets were Kathy Parkin from Texas, and Victoria Cunningham from Colorado, who were full of praise for the toilets' clean and sparkling condition, complete with vases of fresh flowers in each cubicle.

Jon Mathews, local resident and founder of the group of volunteers, said: “We originally set up Friends of Praa Sands to work on direct access to the beach here at Praa Sands, but also to create a create a strong group locally in the community to get together to carry out beach clean ups, and to look at other issues facing local residents such as dunes health and ecology, and the effects of sea erosion.

“However the re-opening of the public toilets has become the number one pressing issue facing the community that we wanted to tackle first. We’re delighted that the first day has gone so well, and that this community asset has been saved for the benefit of all who come to enjoy this beach, whether it’s for a few hours, a whole day, or just passing through.”

To help fund the initial day to day running costs of the facilities, Friends of Praa Sands have launched a GoFundMe page. To visit the page and donate, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/praa-sands-public-toilets-to-be-taken-on-by-local-community