What possesses someone to drive around the Isle of
Man for hours, with a toilet perched on their car roof? Toilet Twinning
champion Rosemary Clarke and our CEO Lorraine Kingsley come clean…
Manx residents were caught
unawares by the scene that greeted them that sunny spring morning.
A van topped with a
toilet and decorated with loo brushes, balloons and bunting wound its merry way
through towns and villages across the island for a full seven hours, before coming
to a halt outside the Tynwald.
Twenty-eight times over the course of the day, the Toilet Tour-ists parked up, dived out and rushed to the loo.
It was not a case of overactive bladders. Rather they were marking a world first: the Isle of Man becoming our first-ever Toilet Twinned Island.
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| The Toilet Tour reaches Douglas. Photo: Isle of Man Today |
'It’s not often you get invited into people’s homes
to look at their loos or drive around in a toilet-topped van!’ says Rosemary (pictured front right, above). ‘But
it was marvellous to see the enthusiasm of all the twinners and to be able to
celebrate our new status as the world’s first Toilet Twinned Island.’
Over the past five years, more than 130 toilets
have been twinned across the Island, in schools, businesses, churches and
offices. Our Toilet Twinned awards are given to special communities which go
above and beyond to twin toilets and work together to make a difference.
The earliest recorded toilet twins on the Island go
right back to January 2011. Then, Manx twinning was given fresh impetus by
Rosemary Clarke and colleagues at the One
World Centre in St Johns when they launched a ‘Twin your
toilet’ campaign with Churches Alive in Man during One World Week in 2014.
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| Knockaloe Beg Farm in Peel - and guests |
One World Centre itself has held various memorable
events including entering a Christmas ‘lav-a-tree’ made of loo brushes in the
Festival of Trees at Ronaldsway Airport in 2014.
‘Twinning a toilet is such an easy thing to do and
can have such a positive impact on the health, education and economic prospects
of others. We’re delighted so many people have taken up the challenge and hope
the tour might inspire even more people to do so.'
Lorraine (pictured second from right, front row, above) says, ‘It was truly heart-warming to
tour the island, and see so many individuals, schools, churches and business
people who were genuinely thrilled to be part of the day – and part of Toilet
Twinning’s mission. We received a warm welcome wherever we went – even with
people who let us run into their home and take a photo of them sitting on the
loo with their certificate!’
The Toilet Tour ended with a reception at the
Legislative Buildings in Douglas hosted by Ray Harmer MHK
and David Anderson MLC. Toilet twinners were invited for a celebratory cuppa
and a slice of toilet-themed cake, as Lorraine presented the award to Ray
Harmer.
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| The TT reaches Henry Bloom Noble Primary School in Douglas |
Of
course, becoming a Toilet Twinned Village, Town, City or Island is just the
start of the next leg of the journey: several Islanders have been inspired to
twin their toilets as a result of the Toilet Tour.
Manx
twinners are on a roll and don’t look like stopping any time soon, if Gladys
Corlett of Onchan Methodist Church is anything to go by.
‘Both my grandmothers on the Island had
outside loos and I'm so thankful we don't have that today,’ says Gladys. ‘We
think that everybody deserves a decent toilet. Millions of people don't have
access to one – and that's totally unacceptable. If you can help in any way at
all, you feel you must.’
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