A MAN who transformed a disused block of public toilets into a pretty cottage will be the first to receive a special new award.

Roger Moss, of Penny Cottage, Link Top, Malvern, is to receive the St Werstan's Award, a polished plaque in hand cast-brass, from the Friends of Malvern Springs and Wells.

The Friends were impressed with the way he had improved "a dark, dismal corner of Malvern", creating a fitting backdrop for Osborne's Fountain, which is set into the wall at the roadside below the cottage.

"The fountain has been neglected over the years, but now that Penny Cottage looks so sweet, people will start noticing the fountain," said Cora Weaver, of the Friends.

Mr Moss, a 52-year-old accountant, bought the toilet block two years ago and has added two modest extensions, with a pitched roofs of reclaimed tiles.

The former gents toilet is now a bedroom and the ladies, with the original stone sign above the doorway, is a sitting room.

"Being built in Malvern 100 years ago, it didn't look like an ordinary toilet block and I could see the potential," he said. "The main problem was getting from upstairs to downstairs, as the men's and women's toilets had separate entrances.

"One extension contains the staircase and the other adds some extra living space, as it was still quite small."

Now painted cream, the cottage has received praise and was nominated for an award from Malvern Civic Society.

The St Werstan Award recognises outstanding work in conserving springs, wells and their environment.

It is named after the patron saint of Malvern Springs and Wells, a 9th-century monk who lived as a hermit near St Ann's Well, where he was murdered and subsequently honoured as a saint.