The Bog Cast
A podcast led by Becky Wall BEM who is the co-owner of the Loo Of The Year Awards. The Awards have a history going back almost 40 years and it involves nominees being assessed via an independent inspection of their site. The Awards cover any premises offering out-of-home washrooms across the UK, Northern Ireland and Ireland. The podcast will share the stories of those who work within the facilities management sector and those who value being able to use excellent toilet facilities.
The Bog Cast
From Headlines to Hygiene: Fiona Scott on Stories That Make a Difference
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In this episode, Becky is joined by Fiona Scott, founder of Fiona Scott Media Consultancy, an award-winning PR professional who has spent over 40 years working across radio, television, newspapers and public relations. Having run her own successful consultancy for the past 18 years, Fiona shares her passion for storytelling, helping businesses raise their profile, and making people visible through the power of the media.
From Journalism to Public Relations
Fiona reflects on her remarkable career, from working as a journalist covering stories for newspapers, radio and television to establishing her own media consultancy. She explains why she loves uncovering stories that matter and how consistent, authentic communication can build momentum, creating its own energy over time.
Becky and Fiona also look back at how they first met through a mutual connection, Stefan Thomas, around two years ago. At the time, Becky was trying to manage all of the public relations for the Loo of the Year Awards herself. After meeting Fiona, it quickly became clear that her experience and enthusiasm would help take the organisation's profile to a new level. Eighteen months later, the partnership continues to go from strength to strength.
Finding the Stories Behind the Awards
Fiona admits that, like many people, she initially thought the Loo of the Year Awards was simply another awards ceremony. However, it didn't take long for her to realise it was something much more significant. She compares the grading scheme to the Food Hygiene Rating System, highlighting how independent recognition gives the public confidence and encourages businesses to continually improve their facilities.
The conversation explores why high-quality away-from-home washrooms matter to everyone, particularly those living with health conditions or disabilities, where access to clean, accessible facilities can make the difference between enjoying a day out or feeling isolated at home. Fiona also shares how travelling around the UK with her husband in their caravan has made her even more aware of the importance of good washroom provision.
Business, Books and Family
Fiona talks about the two books she has written. Her first shares the realities of starting and running a business, offering an honest insight into the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. Her second draws on her years as a newspaper journalist, recounting some of the memorable stories and experiences she encountered throughout her career. Both books provide fascinating reading for anyone interested in business, journalism or storytelling.
The discussion also celebrates the important role of micro businesses within the UK economy. Fiona explains why she is passionate about championing small businesses and dislikes seeing them underestimated. Becky and Fiona compare notes on how both of their children have become involved in supporting their respective family businesses and the value of working together across generations.
Looking to the Future
Looking ahead, Fiona shares her ambitions to continue growing her consultancy, expanding the range of services she offers clients and, of course, writing more books.
Becky and Fiona also discuss how they can continue raising the profile of the Loo of the Year Awards. Ideas include taking The Bog Cast on the road, reaching new audiences, and continuing to normalise conversations around washrooms, hygiene and even the subjects many people still shy away from discussing, wee and poo.
The episode concludes with Fiona encouraging listeners to become part of the campaign for better washrooms. If you spot a Loo of the Year Awards window sticker or certificate displayed in a business, take a photograph and send it in so together we can celebrate those organisations that are investing in excellent washroom facilities.
An engaging and inspiring conversation about storytelling, entrepreneurship, raising awareness, and why giving recognition to excellence can make a real difference to businesses and communities alike.
For more information about the Loo of the Year Awards, visit www.loo.co.uk, Becky Wall BEM | LinkedIn or for Fiona visit www.scottmedia.uk, Fiona Scott | LinkedIn
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the podcast. I hope you've been enjoying the past episodes that we've been airing. And I think today you will thoroughly enjoy this one as I would like to introduce to you our visitor for today, which is Fiona Scott from Scott Media. Hi Fiona. Hello. Fiona, would you like to tell us a little bit about you? And then we could talk about how we met and how we worked together. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_00So I'm Fiona Scott. I have had my own media consultancy for 18 years in 2026. And um, but I've been a journalist for almost 40 years. So I've worked in newspapers, television, um, radio, and now in my mind I do exactly the same job. I make people uh visible and organisations visible through the media, um, thinking as a journalist does, it's really that simple.
SPEAKER_01So we'll go to how we met, and that was through a fellow colleague through the Connect group, wasn't it? Yeah, Stefan Thomas, who's been one of our guests before. Yeah. And we talked for a little while about what you did and and how you could help me with the year awards because up until I think 18 months ago, when you joined us, we were trying to do some of our PR ourselves, and that was okay, but it wasn't getting out to the to the people that we needed it to. And also there are sort of things that crop up, and it's hard how to know, if you're not in that industry, how to deal with them. So, do you want to talk about that? How you've helped us over the last 18 months.
SPEAKER_00Well, um, when I first met you, I knew straight away um that I could help you, uh, mainly because it's a subject area that isn't spoken about a lot. It can be really quirky, and I just knew instinctively there'll be a ton of stories to tell. Because we all need the toilet, we all need washrooms, these are facilities we all use, um, you know, and some of us will need them to be specialized for us. So I thought, right, there's a ton of stories there. And organizations often understand they want PR and they want media outreach, but they're just not consistent at seeking it. And that and that's the key thing. It's not that I've got any magic bullet or anything like that. I'm just really consistent at storytelling for clients so that gradually what happens is there's a cumulative effect because they um they start the the awareness becomes obvious where it wasn't obvious before, it was really piecemeal, um, and therefore it gains almost an energy of its own. It's really hard to describe, Becky, but I bet you're feeling it now.
SPEAKER_01Definitely, I think we are, especially this year alone. I think the first year we did because there were situations where having your knowledge of media, PR, helped us where there might have been difficulties. Um, but definitely now this year, I think we're getting that feeling that people are understanding what we do more about uh through about sorry, the visibility that you have given us by making us think about the stories we put out there, when we put them out there, because that's also really important. Um, the timelines. So, yes, I do. I think I think you're absolutely right. It sort of grows the momentum. Charles talks about the stone that gathers moss, and he's he's seeing that moss starting to be gathered. So I think that that is really quite exciting. Talk to me about Louis the U awards, then what you feel um excites you about it, because you've been to a couple of the uh events now, as well as being in the background watching us trying to to raise that awareness. So talk to us about that, tell us what you feel about that.
SPEAKER_00Well, before I knew, well, if you I I'm starting from a base of knowing nothing. So I assumed, as I think many people will, it's an award ceremony, and it's a series of awards. So when I got to know you and got talking, I thought, oh, it's far more than that, actually, isn't it? It's it's uh it's an inspection system, it's a grading, it's um like you see restaurants with one to five that tells you. I mean, even kidaban one to five that tells you whether that's a good place to go, and when you see that it does influence whether or not you think, well, do I want to use that facility? If they've got a naught or a zero, do I really want to be spending my money there and consuming whatever it is that they produce? So I realised it was a grading system as well as an award, and the awards were really just one aspect of it. So there were two things I realised. I realised around the awards itself, there'd be a bunch of stories, there would be a moment when there'd be a lot of publicity, but actually, the key thing is putting a strategy in place for all the other months because there are loads of other things going on throughout the year, it's not just a one-month thing that happens in January, so it's about being consistent and finding those stories, and also I'm genuinely interested. Actually, before I knew anything about you, um I travel a lot around the UK. We've got a touring caravan, um, my husband and I we have a YouTube channel talking about that. Um and losing toilets when you're in that world are really important. I will remember somewhere where the washroom facilities are awful, and I just make a mental note that we'll never come back here again. And I could name a couple, I won't, but I could. And I'm gonna take photographs and I'm gonna do video, obviously appropriately, yes, not with people in the facilities, but if I'm there on their own. Um, and I'd already done that, so I understood straight away uh the value of what you do. The other thing is I work a lot with charities and charitable organisations, both within my own business. Um, I have a pro bono charity every year that I do PR for, but I also have a charitable rate for some charities. So I completely understood immediately that for some people, toilets and washrooms are even more critical. It's a more critical thing than oh, I think I might need the loo right now. Um, and people can feel very excluded from washrooms or from even visiting places or having normal experiences because they haven't got access to facilities, they're scared about facilities, they're scared they might not be able to get to the loo in time and all of that sort of stuff. So I do have an awareness of that anyway.
SPEAKER_01Brilliant. I think that's really well put. Now I know really the podcast should be about Louis Year awards and how we align and all of that, but your back history, what you sort of saying about being in TV and all of those sort of things, I think the listeners would really like to hear a little bit more about because you've written two books as well about your life. Yeah. So would you like to tell us a little bit about that? Because I think that's really interesting. I think people are like that.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I I've written two books, and I'm not gonna lie, it's a bit of a vanity project telling my story, but uh I do realise as I get older that I've had an interest in life and I've been lucky in my life, but it's all not all been plain sailing. So the first book was about my first 10 years in business, self-employed. Um, and the reason I wrote that was that I never wanted to run my own business. I have no background in business, I have no family members that have ever run a business, I knew nothing about business. So as a result, I fell into it through redundancy and um I made a ton of mistakes. And I just wanted to say to people, look, you might make a ton of mistakes, but it doesn't mean you won't succeed in the end and get where you want to. It's okay actually to make mistakes in business. Uh the failure is not to learn from mistakes, so that's what the whole book is about. It's called The Hard Yards. Um, and also I suppose I wanted to say running a business is hard work. If you think it's gonna be lazy, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. And I worked damn hard when I was employed. So it was those reasons. And the second book was a bit about I'm often asked about my time as a full-time journalist. Um, and people always want to know the stuff like you covered any murders, what's the most serious court case you've ever done, and things like that. So I thought, you know, I'll do something just about my years as a newspaper journalist, which was a seven-year period in my life. So I worked for a weekly paper in Somerset, and I went from that to the Swindon Evening Advertiser, I was crime reporter, and when I left, I was business editor, so I went on a huge journey. So I've shared some of that. Yes, I have shared the murder cases I covered, the serious cases, the quirky things, the scrapes I've got myself into, the law around what a journalist will and won't do, uh, with examples. And um, I just hope it's a good read.
SPEAKER_01So thinking about that, because I've not read the whole of the second book yet, I'm still reading that, but I've read the first book and you gave it to me when we first started working together. And I think there's really one important thing that you haven't, well, two actually, you haven't said about that book. One, it covers women in business because well, not just in business, in journalism as well, because obviously a lot of that was a man's world in in the time you were doing it, but you also haven't covered what else was in that book that was really important, and that was being a mum while trying to work and being made redundant and setting up your own business. And I think people would be quite interested in that because not that I'm a feminist by any means, but I've been brought up in male-oriented businesses, and actually now with Charles and I working in facility management, it is actually very male-oriented. Um, it's not always easy to be heard. So tell me why you didn't mention it because it's quite important.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, I suppose because I've just got older and more bullish about it, and I sort of stand my ground, but you're completely right. Um, one of the reasons I started the business anyway, because uh my husband and I, we've got four children between us, and that's a huge responsibility. Um, and I realized really early on that both he and the children would come on the journey with me whether they liked it or not. So that's it. And and I also knew that initially I wouldn't earn a lot of money, and Steve was really supportive. Um, but the big thing I encountered in the world of business is that many micro businesses are actually run by women, they don't have always the goal of I want to scale up and become a multi-million pound company, and there's nothing wrong with that dream, but there are a lot of men in business that don't take you seriously because of it, and that used to really annoy me. Um, and I would say, when it really annoyed me, I would say if someone made so I would often be told that my business was a hobby or a lifestyle business. Well, in some ways you're right, yes, I've created a business to fit around my other responsibilities. But frankly, if I didn't have children, I like having time off, I like seeing my family, I like doing stuff. I I wanted a business that facilitated all of who I was, not just um, you know, one thing and and dismissing micro businesses run by men or women, um, it's just frankly rude because they're in every single community. Um, actually, it's quite unusual to find a business owner whose sole aim is to scale a business up into a multi-million pound business. Even the women and men I've met who've done that, have almost done it accidentally. Very few have set out with that in mind. It's just evolved over time.
SPEAKER_01But you wouldn't turn the clock back, you still you still you said you were nervous about being self-employed, but yeah, you wouldn't turn it back.
SPEAKER_00No, God, no. I think I'm completely unemployable now because um no, because I think that I think the first month I probably earned 200 quid, and that was through doing some writing. And in 2024 to 25 the business turned over 200,000. Now, alright, that's not all profit, you know. I'm not daft, I know that it's still profit profit about 10 10 to 12%, which I'm very happy with. Will I maintain that? I don't know, but my goal was 50,000. So, you know, frankly, yeah, if I don't make that again, I'm not gonna beat myself up. I love what I do. Brilliant.
SPEAKER_01And in Fiona Scott Media, it's not just you now, though, is it?
SPEAKER_00No, by um sheer accident, really, which is much of my business life has been a sheer accident and you know, um unexpected. Uh, some of my children have joined me in the business. So, Laura, my stepdaughter, um, after she had her son, felt she couldn't go back to her previous role. Uh, as many women who are parents feel they feel that they cannot go back to that full-time grind or that they that their former employers will not be sympathetic to um parenting. And she made the decision to join me. It was not a decision taken lightly because I was very aware it could change the dynamic of our relationship. But she's been with me three years now, and my other daughter, Georgia, who is a performing arts teacher and an actor, um, you know, you don't walk out of university or college and suddenly you're a successful actor and writer and director, you have to do other stuff. So she's a great writer, so she helps me on a freelance basis, two to three days a week fitting around her other stuff. So, as a business owner who uses freelance team, that really suits me and it suits her. It gives her complete flexibility. If she gets other work, she can go. If she wants to move to London and build a life there, it doesn't matter to me to where she's based. So I'm truly grateful that we've all done this together as a family and it's given us choices.
SPEAKER_01And I think that's another reason um how we align as well, because um both Charles and I um have two daughters, Steph and Charlotte. They neither of them work in the business, they've got their own jobs, but when we need them, because Charlotte's really good at marketing, they come on board and and help. And awards day, they both have a day off their jobs and come and join us and be part of the family. Because I guess, like your girls, they know how you think, they know what you want. So actually, you don't even have to instruct them, they just it just happens, and it makes life quite easy when there's like an awards day is quite stressful trying to make sure everything is ticking along and people are doing everything they need to be doing. So having them there just take the phone off you, take you know, it just works, doesn't it? Yeah, it just works.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and and the children are always actually when I first met Steve, I was working in TV and he was then had a job in telecoms. Uh he's retired from that now, but um, he would quite often come on filming days just because he'd enjoyed it, it was good fun. You were around people who were on the telly and the whole dynamic, and he'd be a runner, and so all the children have been brought up to be involved, um, but it's through choice, it's what they want to be involved with. Yes, yeah. So, yeah, I and I love that, and I definitely see that dynamic with you as well.
SPEAKER_01So, Fear and Scott Media has grown. Yeah. What do we think about the future? Where are you happy with it where it is? Have you got ambitions to take it further? What inspires you? Gosh, that's a lot in one game.
SPEAKER_00It's a lot, isn't it? Um, do you know? I've got so far beyond where I ever thought I would be, but I do, I hunger for more. So I'm uh 60 this year. Um don't look at me. Uh I know, thank you. Uh I was fishing for that. Um, I want to do more. I feel that I've got loads to give and I want to do more. And originally when I started the business, I just thought when I decide to retire, it'll retire with me. And that's all changed completely unexpectedly. So now I feel like I'm moving, we're moving forward together as a team, and I think we'll be offered to other things like um what we're doing today, the podcast, we can do stuff like that for people. Um, we can do video work, uh, maybe some graphic design because Lauren really loves graphic design. It's not my thing, but it's there's no reason it can't be a company thing. Yeah. So I think there's loads of possibilities, and I I just embrace them. I've I'm gonna do another at least another two books.
SPEAKER_01Wow.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so um the next one is going to be about being 60, how 60 really is the new 40, how different my being 60 is different to mine. My mum was 60, and my grandmother was 60.
SPEAKER_01Totally agree. Yeah, totally agree. I mean, I look at my granny when she was in her 60s, and she was like a little Miss Marple character with her little um heel shoes and her and her apron and her hair and up in the bun. Yet my mum at 81 is in her jeans and very much more alive and and doing stuff that having a hair done every week and going out for meals and things that my granny would have never done.
SPEAKER_00No, and I just think there's a new dynamic now, it's partly societal because we don't get a pension when we used to. Um, things on, I suppose financially we're not gonna get not handouts, things previous generations were entitled to. So I think there's that. But in my case, I just think no, so much to do, so much to explore, so much to offer, and I am not sliding into the grave quietly, I can tell you. I'm going in loudly with my grey hair, well, very white hair, and um I don't care what anyone thinks, I'm just doing it.
SPEAKER_01It's funny you should talk about that because Charles and I talk about this, and he quite often says that he wants on his gravestone, he had a go, because we've you know, with business, we've had a go. We've really tried and we've brought up the family and whatever. And I said it would just be ironic though, if the um gentleman that's busy chipping it away gets it wrong and it says he had to go, and I have a knock on the door from the police going, excuse me, Mrs. Wall, have you got something to tell me?
SPEAKER_00Well, I want to know, I want to know if the gravestone's going to be shaped like a toilet.
SPEAKER_01Probably just be that lid. Golden, yeah. But going back to this then, yeah, um, we've obviously, as I say, worked together now for about 18 months and we've we've done really well with how it's how it's going. Do you see that evolving even further? Is there other things that you feel that we would be able to do um through media with yourselves and your team to push Ludia Awards again that bit further? Because yeah, it's little steps, but it's it's it's all I mean, yeah.
SPEAKER_00If you really want me to go there, I will. Well, for a start, look at where we've come from. So I would be expecting that we get national publicity every year. Um, often the national publicity doesn't come from the areas that people think that will. They think, well, it will be the overall winner, when actually it's probably more often not the human interest stories or the um the quirky, the quirky loos, things that are a little bit different, or anything to do with the royal family or the king, putting it bluntly, because people like all of that. There's the podcast, um, that's really good. Maybe taking the podcast on the road at some point is an idea, thinking about it. Yeah, sort of more like a podcast road trip. Um, even sector specific. So that you know, the podcast on the road with caravan and camping clubs or shopping centres, or there's all sorts of ways you can go with that. I think the other obvious ones is yourself um very much being seen as an expert in this field and as a thought leader, because you are a gateway to lots of other businesses in this whole area, which doesn't get talked about a lot, but it will be because if we're visible, it is inevitable that people will start to talk about loss washrooms, poo, we all those things that make us feel a bit ick, but they they matter to all of us. They do. They really matter to it.
SPEAKER_01Something we all have in common.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's right. And yeah, sometimes it might be a bit ick, but you know, we don't change things by being silent. And the other thing is, um, and we've kind of brushed you and I have skirted around this issue, is doesn't every country need a Louis of the Year Awards? Doesn't that? I think they do.
SPEAKER_01I think they do.
SPEAKER_00I think that's a story for another day.
SPEAKER_01I do too. So on that, then is there anything else that you'd like to tell us, Fiona, about yourself, about the alignment with Liew of the Year Awards, or do you just want to tell us where people can find you? Oh well.
SPEAKER_00Um what I would say to people is please um send to Becky and the team any pictures of anywhere you go where there is a certificate for the Lou of the Year Awards. So we operate very much in our stories through positivity, and we want to positively celebrate any organisation that has participated in the awards, past, present, or are thinking of it. So if you see any of those, send it in. Uh send it to Bucky uh Becky, detailsonlu.co.uk. Um is that right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Becky at Lou.uk. Yeah, Becky at Lu.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, send us anything like that because we want to celebrate past winners, uh, current winners. We want to see that people are taking notice and making conscious choices to visit places who take washrooms and toilets seriously. So that's the first thing. Um, in terms of finding me, I'm pretty active on social media, so you can find me on LinkedIn, message me there, or scottmedia.uk.
SPEAKER_01Thanks ever so much, Fiona. I hope everybody's really enjoyed that. I have certainly have. We've always seemed to have clicked from the time we got going, had a lot of laughs and made it fun, which is great. If you want to know more about Lou of the Year awards, please look at us on www.lu.co.uk or you can follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Thank you very much.