On the blog

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Looks for your lids



Christmas is fast approaching but there’s still plenty of time to get crafty with the decorations!  

The halls may get decked with boughs of holly, and the living room play host to a festive fairy. But sadly the toilet is often the poor relation in the festoonery stakes.

And what could be more welcoming in the smallest room in the house than a seasonal loo seat cover? A cosy Santa could greet you and your guests on every visit.

Of course you could spend a penny or two and buy one; there’s plenty of choice out there.




Santa Toilet Seat cover and rug set: you can buy it here: 
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00465S1ZG/show06-20/

For instructions on how to make this festive loo lid, see www.tackyliving.com/article.php?id=39



But it really couldn’t be easier to make one yourself. All you need are some scraps of fabric in festive colours and a bit of inspiration, which is easily found by searching for ‘Christmas toilet seat cover’ in your browser. Or just look around at Christmas cards, shopping catalogues and seasonal wrapping paper for simple 2D image ideas. If Santa’s face doesn’t do it for you, how about a snowman, reindeer, Christmas tree or the words ‘Ho Ho Ho’?

Use the toilet lid as your template to cut out the backing fabric, and then stitch or glue the features onto it. You could even add a bit of tinsel to make things go with a real sparkle.  The fabric cover can be attached to the loo lid with some elastic, or you could fashion a tuck-in pocket, like the ones on pillow cases. 



For full sewing instructions, click here

If you really get in the mood, you could incorporate the cistern lid and floor mat into your scheme.

And if sewing isn’t your thing but you’re handy with a bit of crafty painting, consider getting a cheap loo seat and customising it to use over the winterval period. Instructions can be found here

Merry making to one and all!

Monday 19 November 2012


What a day!

Some days are routine, even downright boring. Others can leave us reeling as we try to assess dramatic changes. We’d surely much prefer to borrow Shakespeare’s description of heaven and be ‘as merry as the day is long’.

Sometimes, time seems to run fast (weekends!) and at other times it copies the snail - especially when we’re in the dentist’s chair. We have no memory of the day of our birth, and are unlikely to know the day of our death. They are funny old things, days. The poet Philip Larkin seemed to agree, asking: ‘What are days for?’



Even animals, it seems, have bad hair days.  
Photo: Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England (Bad hair day) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Many of us will have endured a bad hair day, and wages slaves often pine for a duvet day. But don’t let’s forget the red letter days - the term comes from the habit of marking church festivals on calendars in red ink - and halcyon days, those calm summer times we look back on nostalgically.   


Halcyon days by the seaside Photo © Louise Thomas

No doubt Mr Larkin would have appreciated World Poetry Day (21 March, since you ask) and as a librarian he might have marked World Book and Copyright Day (23 April). But World Toilet Day (19 November)? What’s that all about?

It may sound laughable or even ridiculous to those who don’t realise how many people have no access to a decent loo:  40% of the world’s population face a daily struggle to find somewhere private to use in place of a toilet. That’s 2.6bn men, women and children made vulnerable to the legion of diseases that come with lack of sanitation. Every 20 seconds a child under 5 years old dies because of dirty water and poor sanitation.  And women and girls are particularly vulnerable to rape and snake bites as they squat in the grass.  


Those are appalling facts that need publicising in order to bring about the desire for change, and having a 'day' helps gain publicity.

Philip Larkin continued his quest for the purpose of a day by writing ‘They are to be happy in’, and Dinah Washington sang ‘What a difference a day makes’. So this year, why not mark World Toilet Day by making a real and lasting difference to the lives of people living in poverty by twinning your toilet? And if you are on Twitter, please tweet when you have done it to pass the message on.  

Carpe Diem! Seize the Day!

You can hear Philip Larkin reading his poem ‘Days’ here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW7mecoPEBs  

Friday 19 October 2012

Curry, cawl and mummies


Curry is known to provoke a flushing-out of some people’s inner tubes. So naturally it was dish of the day – along with a Welsh cawl (soup) – at the Maesteg Christian Centre’s recent Toilet Twinning fundraiser. 

But not to worry: there was plenty of toilet tissue at hand, and even a toilet (although apparently it was there to collect the cash donations).



On the throne for the night was champion toilet twinner, Gweirydd Williams, from Bridgend, South Wales. He had lined up a quiz for guests, including a real stinker of a question: ‘How much poo can a human body hold?’  (Answer: up to 25 pounds).



The loo paper gave the young people an excuse to play the Egyptian mummy game, and a total of £500 was literally thrown down the (unplumbed) toilet.



Gweirydd is an environmental health officer, so he knows a thing or two about the importance of having a safe and hygienic place to go to the loo. He’s already fundraised to twin 34 toilets, and the Maesteg event’s success brings the total up by a further nine! Thank you Gweirydd and the people of Maesteg. 

[See the blog below: ‘Champion twinner Gweirydd Williams talks to Toilet Twinning’ for more information on Gweirydd’s fundraising activities.]

Friday 28 September 2012

Blue ice from the sky, brown poo on the ground


  The prospect of frozen sewage falling out of the sky is not one to gladden the heart.  But recent reports from Long Island, USA, tell of several houses left with gaping holes in their roofs.   Material accidentally jettisoned from aircraft lavatories is thought to be responsible.  This ‘blue ice’, as it is known, is a mixture of human waste and blue disinfectant, frozen at high altitudes. 
  In 2007 a couple in Leicestershire received a similar gift from above and had to keep a lump of the matter in their freezer, for insurance purposes.  Although it was triple wrapped, they felt sure they would be throwing away any frozen food sharing the space.
  Back in Tudor England, before the advent of piped sewage systems,  ‘gong farmers’ worked under cover of darkness to remove human excrement from privies and cesspits.  This was, at least, an advance on medieval days when a shout of ‘gardyloo’ would warn of waste about to be thrown out of upstairs windows. Modern-day gamers can test their skills at catching falling poo here www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/gong-farmer-game
  Our bodily waste matter, it seems, gets everywhere. 
  Many people in the world’s poorest countries have no option but to practice open defecation.  The hygiene issues of having untreated sewage lying around, along with the embarrassing lack of privacy, are immediately obvious. 

Aelech Tomas from Ethiopia      Photo: Tearfund/Will Boase

  Mapping defecation areas can bring home the scale of the problem and stimulate a desire for change in communities without decent sanitation facilities.  They are encouraged to create a simple map, often drawn on the ground, and households mark themselves and any existing latrines using a leaf or stone. Then they can add areas of open defecation, triggering discussion about distance walked, safety, contamination of water supply, the effects of faeces on the ground and how it degrades.  
  Sometimes little flags are used to mark the faeces, and the weight of the solid waste produced weekly, monthly or annually can be calculated.  This aids the debate and gets people interested in constructing toilets.  
  Aeylech Tomas (pictured above), from the village of Kisho, Ethiopia, sums up the need for universal access to latrines.   She is full of fear every time she has to go to the toilet in the open:  I am always afraid that someone might see me. If the boys or men see us they might attack or rape us. I feel sad; this is not a good life. 
  There are some things in this world we are right to be angry about.  

Friday 24 August 2012


A box of paper for your thunderbox

Summer: it’s a time for camping, visiting festivals or an extended trip off the tourist trail.  Packing… repacking… packing lite.  But some things just can’t be left off the list and top of those must be loo paper. 


In the Western world we rarely think twice about ‘bathroom tissue’ even though many people still have painful memories of those flat sheets of hard, medicated paper, first packaged by Joseph C Gayetty of New York in the 1850s.  But this home comfort feels like an essential piece of kit when faced with camp-site khazis or long-drop loos.

The Chinese were probably the first to use paper for bottom-wiping purposes, way back in the 6th Century AD, although an Arab traveller judged them ‘not careful about cleanliness’ because they did not wash themselves with water after they had done ‘their necessities’. 

At other times and in other places, all sorts of materials have been used for this everyday (unless you are badly constipated) process.  Leaves, grass, moss, corncobs, fur, mussel shells, clay, snow, wool and newspaper have all had their moment of glory, with the Romans – ahead of their time as ever - favouring the relatively forgiving sponge-on-a-stick method.

Modern bathrooms in countries flush with water resources and plumbing sometimes sport toilets with integral bottom-washing and drying facilities.  This ‘progress’ somewhat flies in the face of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s recent quest to reinvent the toilet in a more environmentally sustainable way. click here

But we digress… paper remains the method of the moment for many of us, and soon you will be able to help flush away poverty by buying an exclusive (!) Toilet Twinning loo roll, printed with pictures of  latrines in Africa and Asia.  Surely the perfect gift for those hard-to-buy-for people.   Watch this space. 


Monday 6 August 2012


Peeing for Britain


Ten thousand loos spread over 362 toilet blocks have been installed at the London Olympics in a bid to outrun the needs of more than 7.5 million ticket holders.

Disposal of human waste was one of the many practical issues at the forefront of the Olympic planners’ minds, particularly as they had a commitment to reduce the amount of drinkable water consumed.  A new treatment plant, opened this year, helps cut water usage at the park: raw sewage is cleaned using bio-membranes and the resulting liquid is suitable for toilet flushing and to irrigate the four Olympic flower gardens.

Athletes’ needs were not neglected.  Gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy, for example, was invited to contribute to the design of the 6,000 seat velodrome, which, along with its waterless urinals, boasts trackside toilets.  Some other venues have rainwater harvesting equipment.

All this looks like good value for money, and indeed sustainability has been riding high at this year’s games despite being lampooned in a very British way on the BBC comedy Twenty Twelve.

But for longer-term change, £60 to twin your loo, and bring about a permanent improvement for people overseas living without decent sanitation, looks like an Olympian-sized winner!

Friday 27 July 2012

Champion Twinner Gweirydd Williams talks to Toilet Twinning


Introduce yourself in under 30 words:
I’m Gweirydd Williams, Environmental Health Officer in Bridgend, South Wales.

How many toilets have you twinned (directly and indirectly)?
I’ve twinned 34 toilets so far. The first was at the council offices where I work:  instead of sending Christmas cards we donate money towards a charity and I proposed Toilet Twinning. 

Then – on a roll - I wrote to my local MP, Huw Irranca-Davies, who twinned a toilet in his office, and I also twinned one at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in Wales.  

Some missionary friends of mine were visiting and saw my twinned toilet, so I twinned theirs in the Philippines as a gift. I think it’s the first twin from that part of the world! 

Recently I had the idea of having my back waxed. I roped in Scott, my next door neighbour, who’s a bit of a good laugh.  It was quick, painful and different, and yielded enough to twin 22 toilets so it was well worth it.  There’s a video of us having the waxing on YouTube click here

When did you first hear about Toilet Twinning?
I’ve known about Tearfund since I was a teenager, and am now a Tearfund representative. I saw a Toilet Twinning leaflet in a Tearfund Christmas catalogue and it all started from there.

 What stood out to you about Toilet Twinning?
As a Christian, I liked the fact that the scheme is run through Christian charities, and that a definite amount - £60 – is asked. Having travelled to the Philippines both with my church and the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, I’ve seen what happens when people don’t have toilets and how it impacts them. Also, as an Environmental Health Officer I often have to deal with issues around waste and sewage so I know the dangers.

How have you encouraged others to support Toilet Twinning?
I visited my daughter’s school to give a talk on hand-washing and hygiene, and they decided to twin their toilets. I have since written to other schools in the area to see whether they would also be interested in a visit from their local Environmental Health Officer about Toilet Twinning.

What are your plans for the near future?
We will be holding a Mission Night in our church in October to raise funds for Toilet Twinning and I am thinking about having a bag packing day at a local superstore.  I’ve also got some great ideas for next year’s sponsored activity but at the moment it is under wraps!

What’s your Toilet Twinning ambition?
I hope that many, if not all, of the 22 local authorities in Wales will twin their toilets, as well as schools and churches.  My overall aim is to twin 100 toilets, so there’s only another 66 to go!


Toilet Twinning says 'Thank you Gweirydd!'

Friday 29 June 2012

My runs were for Toilet Twinning...

Toilet Twinning asked marathon runner and blogger 'Ready to Run' to guest blog: 

So here's the thing: I decided to enter a marathon just over six months ago, blogging about anything that tickled my fancy along the way. All those phrases about having the runs and running to the loo kept popping into my mind, as I was bursting every time I got to my front door following a run!
 
It seemed apt to introduce Toilet Twinning to my friends, colleagues and family. And, on a serious note, the venture does fantastic work to bring sanitation to those who need it; introducing the issues on its website in a fun, engaging way.

If you want to raise money, writing a blog as you go will attract people’s attention, and advertise your charity too. I found just posting a link to Toilet Twinning was enough to get people engaged, and then giving. Having a Virgin Money Giving page meant that I didn’t directly need to ask people to donate.

As it stands with gift aid, I have raised close on £700 which is enough for almost 12 toilet twins!   Consider using a pseudonym for your blog. I decided to use song lyrics and film titles to give my blog, Ready to Run, an identity of its own: https://sites.google.com/site/phoebestewart1965/

 Here are some extracts from my blog:

The Boys are back in Town 22/12/12 Thin Lizzy 1976

Well I ran near midnight for this short run with two of my four sons, number one and number three.  I wonder if the second son is fed up getting referred to as a no 2 !  … the boys danced, ran backwards, sideways and all-sorts in order to keep to my slow pace. I completed the run in my fastest time so it looks like their antics paid off.

Wind beneath my Wings 1/1/12

This Bette Midler song was played on the radio as I ran my LONG run of eight miles along the coast on New Year's Day.  Maybe it was the endorphins, but as I ran and listened I began to pick up pace and sung these lyrics out loud. I was singing to myself!  I was my own hero; my self esteem had gone sky high … people moved out of my way as I passed, other runners gave me that “You go girl” look. It felt great, the weather changed, the rain, wind and waves came, I loved it, another 'first' and on New Year's Day.

Dog days are over 13/2/12 Florence and the Machine

…Run for your mother
Run fast for your father…

Well today saw me run to my home town, very nostalgic, I ran past my parents' home, though they are no longer there... Lots of memories came to the fore, two hours and 50 minutes worth! It was 12 miles, me running 12 miles, me running to my home town, ME, ME. It was ME.
Run Forrest Run -  eve of Marathon 6/5/12

The clip from Forrest Gump when he starts to run really resonated with me when I watched it today … before I started running it was just another movie clip. I had thought of running a marathon when I turned 40. However, a few difficult things had happened along the way so I never got round to it.  

But then like Forrest “I decided to go for a little run...”


Friday 22 June 2012

Eight pit latrines twinned from one man’s moustache!


A Bristolian moustache has been shaved off at auction to provide no less than eight toilets. What fab facial follicles to produce such a result! 

We can’t now see whether the moustache in question was waxed and twiddled, a Dali curve or a bit of a bushy nostril warmer, so perhaps Steve Wilmhurst, our newly-bare donor, could pick out his style from the chart below and let us know:


 Credit: MOUSTACHE by yana segal

Whatever it was (and RIP) it has been used to bring transformation in some of the poorest communities across the globe.  

But that’s not all. Steve’s friends from the youth group at Kensington Baptist Church in Easton, Bristol, under the leadership of Rebekah Rice, got together for a dinner and auction that raised over £2,000, including the moustache money – so all in all that’s enough for 30 toilets in Burundi!




Organiser Rebekah said: 

‘We had a wonderful evening.  It was great fun, and we even had someone there from the BBC, who interviewed some of our youth group! Everyone was so, so generous and we raised over £2,000.’  

Relief and development charity Tearfund (who run Toilet Twinning in partnership with peacebuilding agency Cord) sent their Volunteer Manager for the South West, John Archer, to talk about the twinning scheme.  

He said 'it was a brilliant night with over 50 auction lots, and dancers who would have done well on Britain’s Got Talent.  Best of all, it’s provided toilets for as many people in Burundi as attend Bristol’s Kensington Baptist Church.'

Toilet Twinning thinks that’s a top result!  Thank you Kensington youth group.

Friday 15 June 2012

Toilet twinning for Dads


You know how dads are – they tend to go on a lot about the value of education.  Do your homework, pay attention in class, remember all the kids in the world who don’t get any schooling etc. Well this Father’s Day, you could empower your papa with a bit of learning around loo etiquette, starting with cleaning the bowl:

Eco-friendly toilet cleaner - you will need:

1 measure white vinegar
¼ measure bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate – available in hardware shops)

Method:
Put the bicarbonate of soda into the toilet bowl and add the vinegar slowly.
It will foam, so be careful not to let it overflow.
Leave for 10 – 20 minutes.
Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush
Then flush to rinse – easy!

If he seems a little reluctant to take on the task, remember it’s a good bonding thing to watch films with your dad – try this short one to get him in the mood for the toilet task:

When your dad has mastered the technique, remind him to keep your mum happy and put the seat down! More than half the women (54%) quizzed by home shopping retailer 24studio.co.uk, in their 2010 survey of 1,165 women, said failure to put the seat down was their man's most irritating trait.  If this is all too much hard work, you could take the easy option for Father’s Day and twin his toilet for him instead.  He’ll get a framed picture of his twin to hang in his own loo. 

Just click on the Twin your toilet now! tab above.



Friday 27 April 2012

"We are proud of our latrine"

This is Mrs Nyirakazimana, a farmer who lives with her husband and seven children in Tshoko, North Kivu, DRC.

Here, Mrs Nyirakazimana speaks about the recent community-led total sanitation (CLTS) scheme she has been part of:

We live on a plot that does not belong to us. It belongs to a plantation, so we work every day in the owner’s fields to pay our rent. Before the CLTS training here, we did not understand the importance of building a latrine. I can say that my family, our neighbours and our community all lived amidst the stools and dirt, but we didn’t understand how it was affecting us. 

Today, all of my children know that each time they use the toilet, they must cover the latrine hole and leave it clean. I find that since me and my neighbour have built latrines our children are sick much less than before.

My husband and I make sure that our latrine is clean, both inside and outside. We are proud of our latrine.

This project helped me to discover that the family latrine is extremely important. My family continues to use all the information on hygiene that we learnt. Practically speaking, my children are healthier now than they’ve ever been.

We have benefited from training and awareness of hygiene issues. A number of months ago I built my toilet, and since our training I’ve poured ash inside the toilet hole to reduce odours. Before, the fields were so smelly because we used them openly as our toilet. But now, with new latrines and the use of ash, there are no more smells. I also know now that I should cover the hole so as to reduce the flies inside the latrine. All of my children wash their hands after using the toilet.

Our needs are many, but in priority I believe that clean water is very important for us. Another need is knowledge. My community and our neighbours need to be sensitised more and more so that we’ll grown in our knowledge and understanding of the importance of family latrines.

Thursday 29 March 2012

Toilet Twinner runs length of Britain

Tom, ready to run, with his
Toilet Twinning certificate

Hello toilet twinners of the world and many thanks for this opportunity to guest blog.

My name is Tom and I have chosen Toilet Twinning as one of two charities to support as I run from John O'Groats to Land's End (JOGLE).

Preparations are almost complete and it is now less than 2 weeks until departure. You can follow my progress on my blog: www.tomrunsjogle.com.

With the kind support of those closest to me and inspiration from adventurers such as Rosie Swale-Pope I decided that my ambition would take me the length of the country. I will be running nearly 900 miles over 36 days to complete the JOGLE route.  

My journey will hold untold treats and surprises, and I will no doubt have many moments of physical and mental joy as well as despair to enjoy and endure as I make my way through almost a marathon each day.

I discovered Toilet Twinning a couple of years ago and my own foray into twinning has resulted in our bathroom toilet having a partner in Burundi, delighting our visiting guests with such a simple but rewarding concept.

I am very proud to be running to raise money for Toilet Twinning and I hope that my adventure spurs you on in your own life and helps to renew your support.      

If you like to run or enjoy looking after wayward runners with a cold drink and a kind word as they pass your neighbourhood then get in touch. My route is on the blog, I'd love to see you.

Tom


We'll be following Tom's blog and giving you updates along the way. If you're able to support Tom as he takes on this fantastic challenge, please do get in touch with him and let us know as well. 

Thursday 22 March 2012

Sanitation heroes of the DRC

Community-led sanitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or CLTS in DRC for short, is one of the ways in which Tearfund is working with communities in this war-torn African country.

We heard from Monica Verhaege, Tearfund’s Public Health Advisor in the DRC, about the impact this is having on people's lives.

What’s the DRC like?
The DRC is only one country away from being the worst place on earth in terms of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living. The many-sided war that officially ceased in 2002 claimed over 4 million lives. Sadly, conflict between various armed groups and atrocities against civilians, especially women, continue.

People living in the regions most affected by these armed groups, for example in the Eastern regions of North and South Kivu, live with instability and uncertainty. Yet they are trying to rebuild their lives after the war and develop healthy communities.

Today, few people in DRC have access to basic services, including clean water and sanitation, which poses serious health risks. This is a country where most people don’t live to see their 50th birthday, and diarrhoea is the second biggest killer.

In 2010 Tearfund’s Disaster Management Team in the DRC launched its pilot CLTS scheme.

What exactly is CLTS?
Community-led total sanitation, or CLTS, is an approach to sanitation that involves the local community and enables them to address sanitation issues themselves. Local materials are used by local people to build their own latrines.

We might think that ‘real aid’ should be paying for and building latrines for communities. Although this might be well-meaning, communities benefit immeasurably more from approaches that empower and involve them than from handouts.

Tshoko, a village of 188 households in North Kivu, is a good example of the two different approaches.

Tshoko is in a chronically insecure area where there is constant rebel movement. A fear of having to flee into the bush combined with the fact that most villagers do not own the land they live on means that people are unwilling to invest in expensive infrastructure, like toilets.

An unused and overgrown
donated latrine slab
As a consequence the nearby fields were the village’s toilets and open defecation was the norm. Latrine slabs had been donated by NGOs in the past to help these villagers. However, with no accompanying health promotion or education, these slabs were left unused and half-buried by weeds.

After Tearfund’s CLTS training, it was as if the entire community experienced a hygiene epiphany. Community members realised they could not lead healthy lives without building latrines.

The community became excited about using the old, unused slabs to build their new latrines. People even walked long distances to areas that weren’t controlled by militias to find materials. They want their village to be a healthy place for their children to live in.  

After CLTS training this family in Tshoko reused an old slab to build their family latrine. 
Monica says: “I have observed a huge hygiene and sanitation awakening that is community driven and spreading like a wildfire across the region. I am inspired by communities that have been devastated by the conflict, but then are motivated to build their own latrines. The communities themselves are the true sanitation heroes in DRC.”

Thursday 1 March 2012

Raising a penny to help others spend one

Fundraising can be a great way to raise awareness about the 2.6 billion people in the world who don’t have loo and to encourage more people to get involved.

If you’d like to hold a fundraising event to twin some toilets, get others twinning or simply give towards improved sanitation, here are some resources and ideas to help you.

Promotional resources
We would love to send you some free Toilet Twinning leaflets to hand out at your event. These come in packs of 25, please contact us through the website if you’d like some.

You can download A3 and A4 posters from our resources page to use at any event.

We have some fetching Flush Away Poverty T-shirts available in small, medium, large and extra-large. If you’d like one of these for your event, please contact us via the website or call on 0845 355 8355.  

Sponsorship
If you’re doing a sponsored event, you can download a sponsorship form from our resources page.

If your friends find it easier to donate online, you can set up a Virgin Giving page and donations will come straight through to Toilet Twinning. Soon you’ll be able to use Just Giving as well.
NB: You will not get Toilet Twinning certificates if you use one of these sites, they are just for those wanting to donate to Toilet Twinning. If you’re raising money to twin toilets please bank the money raised then order your twins online or by post. 

And more…
If you’d like a speaker from Tearfund or Cord to come along to your event, drop us a quick email with some details of what you’re planning and we’ll see what we can do.

Stuck for ideas?
There are loads of different ways you could raise money for Toilet Twinning. Here are just a few:
  • Do a sponsored run, kayak, silence or anything else, whilst wearing a Toilet Twinning T-shirt of course
  • Host a Toilet Twinning meal and auction - we can send you some framed certificates of loos in Burundi, Cambodia or DR Congo to auction off
  • Summer Sizzle BBQ – keep your eyes open for recipes and ideas this summer!
Here are some examples of what other lovely people have done…

2nd Amersham-on-the-Hill Brownies ran a café for the day. At the café they had games, including a human slot machine, crafts and sold chocolates in toilet-shaped boxes. 






Mums & Tots Club in Newtownards held a 48-hour sponsored water use. They asked mums to collect small change each time they used water, for example to run a bath for their baby or washed their hands after changing a nappy. 

Last lent students at Regents Theological College ‘Gave away a take away’. They stopped buying take away food or coffee and donated the money saved. These students were lucky(?) enough to have a disconnected toilet they could use as a central collection point. 

1st Celbridge Scouts held two events: a cake sale and bag packing at a local supermarket. 

St Pauls Church in Skelmersdale held a collection with a difference. Instead of passing round a collection plate they used a spare toilet to collect donations.

If you’ve got an event coming up or have photos from one that you ran, we would love to hear from you.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to Toilet Twinning!
Photocredit: Nick Wilmot / Cord



Thursday 9 February 2012

Loved up loos: Toilet Twinning moves into matchmaking this Valentine’s



Is your toilet down in the dumps this Valentine’s? A loo-ser in love?

Tell us why your loo deserves to be with one of our loo-nely latrines, and if your proposition is the best you'll be twinned with your chosen partner - for free.



Add your propositions as comments underneath, remembering to include the number of the latrine your loo would like to twinned with!



Let us turn this:










Into this:










If your toilet is not currently engaged, we could have the perfect partner in one of these lovely loos:

Latrine number 1

From: DRC
The stern exterior can’t fool us; with a door that can be locked from the outside this the latrine enjoys practical jokes
Loves: Days spent lazing in the sunshine
Hates: Snakes and spiders
Favourite love song: I’ll Stand by Loo, The Pretenders




Latrine number 2

From: DRC
This attractive and well-built latrine pays great attention to detail (note the smartly designed ventilation hole) but knows that looks aren’t everything
Loves: The noise of rain on a tin roof
Hates: Lemon-scented air freshener
Favourite love song: Your Lav is King, Sade 



Latrine number 3

From: Burundi
Shunned in the past for its non-traditional look, this latrine refuses to conform
Loves: Accessorising (especially with bamboo)
Hates: That boring brick look
Favourite love song: Love is a Loo-sing Game, Amy Winehouse



Latrine number 4

From: Burundi
The tousled hair-do hides a stable and dependable latrine that just wants to make someone feel safe and special
Loves: People who sing or whistle in the toilet
Hates: Bad hair days
Favourite love song: I Want to Wash Your Hand, The Beatles



Latrine number 5 

From: Burundi
This latrine likes its privacy and spending one-to-one time with loved ones
Loves: Crafts, patchwork and interior design
Hates: Flies and mosquitoes
Favourite love song: How Deep is Your Lav, The Bee Gees




Let us know why your humble bog would be a match for any of these loos and your toilet
could soon be:



 





On Valentine's Day each of these latrines will choose the best proposition - and become a lifetime twin! 

Add your proposition below, remembering to include the number of the latrine you like the look of!