Canals, crafts and toilets (of course!)

At Toilet Twinning we have a certain fascination with all things lavatorial and we’re always pleased to hear from anyone else with similar … err … interests.

According to Kate Saffin, a member of Thrupp Canal Cruising Club, boaters share something of our preoccupation with toilets and can discuss them endlessly! It seems that boaters, like many people in developing countries, don’t take their loos for granted.

Based on the South Oxford Canal, this boat club manages a stretch of moorings around the picturesque hamlet of Thrupp. As well as looking after the waterways, the club organises social events and supports a variety of charities, which this year included Toilet Twinning.

The club is twinning a British Waterways service point with a latrine in Burundi. The service point allows boaters to dispose of sewage and refuse, as well as refill their clean water tank. It has recently been refurbished, transforming from a basic brick hole into a tiled installation complete with flush.

Thrupp Canal Cruising Club had a rather sophisticated and creative way of commemorating their new twin – toilet-shaped centrepieces at their annual dinner.

We absolutely love these displays! They were painstakingly created by Jane, who has kindly shared how she made them, allowing you to make your own.

First, select your container, this will form the bowl of your toilet. We’re not able to disclose any brands but after much research and dessert eating, Jane found some lemon cheesecake puddings that come in just the right shaped pot. (These desserts, while tasty, will forever be known as ‘toilet puddings’ in certain circles.)

Use card to create the cistern, before covering with papier-mâché.





Paint your toilets, before adding a flush handle made from matches and foil.

For branding, the Toilet Twinning logo can be glued to the back of the cistern

Finally, add flowers and a candle to finish off your centrepiece.











Many thanks to everyone at the Thrupp Canal Cruising Club for your support!

Peace and good loos for all men

Are you stuck for an ingenious Christmas present? Don’t get bogged down with Christmas shopping, simply twin your loved one’s toilet.

We all have that person in our lives, the one who’s impossible to buy presents for. Usually it’s your Dad. This year, why not think about treating them to a toilet twin? 

Thanks to our new and improved website, you can now personalise any twins given as gifts. We also include a gift card, so you can write a few words explaining why you thought a latrine would be the perfect present.

Christmas at your convenience

Order by the 14^th December for your certificate to be delivered in time for Christmas – just order by 7 pm. However, if you’re one to leave things to the last minute and miss that deadline, you can download a voucher to print or email – great to add in with a Christmas (e-)card.

Toilet Twinning is a gift that transforms communities and leaves the person you are buying for flushed with a yuletide glow.

Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy loo year!

Ten festive uses of toilet roll

We’ve scoured the Internet to find ten of the best innovative uses for old toilet roll tubes to brighten up your home this Christmas.

Ok, so we’re a few days behind on this, but who would have thought you could turn toilet roll tubes into such a great advent calendar?

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Home/Crafts/Christmas-Craft-Toilet-Paper-Roll-Advent-Calendar.html

Alternatively, you could turn those tubes into a variety of Christmas characters, whether you want to go for the traditional nativity scene…

http://catholicicing.com/2009/12/diy-printable-nativity-for-kids/

… Father Christmas and his helpers ….

http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-gifts-cards-decorations/christmas-character-crafts/christmas-crew-663694/

… or represent your favourite carols

http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-gifts-cards-decorations/christmas-character-crafts/christmas-crew-663694/

(and those singing them!)

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/christmas-choir-661390/

Or you could use your spent toilet rolls for home-made decorations for your tree

http://chasingfireflies.typepad.com/chasing_fireflies/2010/12/snowflake-ornaments.html

Using a similar technique you can create fantastic wreath

http://lolailosadventures.blogspot.com/2011/11/toilet-paper-tubes-christmas-wreath.html

Technically this Christmas tree wasn’t made using loo roll, but with a bit of wrapping paper we’re sure the effect could be recreated!

http://stephssilverboxes.blogspot.com/2011/11/spool-christmas-trees.html   

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, it wouldn’t be Christmas without crackers. If you’re fed up of the usual jokes and trinkets, why not recycle those toilet rolls and make your own?

http://lisasayswhybensaysyup.blogspot.com/2011/04/recycling-toilet-paper-rolls.html

Last but by no means least, reuse old toilet roll inners as gift wrapping for smaller presents (this looks much prettier than it sounds!)

http://factorydirectcraft.com/factorydirectcraft_blog/upcycling-toilet-tube-gift-box/

Unfortunately a Toilet Twinning certificate won’t fit in one of these so will have to be gift-wrapped in the normal way. 

Technology vs reading - what do kids do on the loo?

Rev Cate Edmonds: Toilet Twinning champion



Cate with her twinned toilet

Vicar Cate Edmonds has gone above and beyond the call of duty in her mission to get people twinning their toilets. It all started when she twinned a loo at home for her husband’s Christmas present. Since then she’s been on a roll, encouraging twinnings all across her three parishes.

We asked Cate a few questions to find out what it is about Toilet Twinning that keeps her coming back for more.

Introduce yourself in 50 words or less:

Reverend Cate Edmonds, Diocesan Adviser for Education Chaplaincies and Vicar of three parishes. I’m married with two grown-up children, have travelled extensively and hate having to use poor sanitation. But that’s only when I travel, then I come home to good sanitation and feel guilty that there are others who don’t.

How many toilets have you twinned (directly and indirectly)?
Directly I have twinned eight and indirectly another five or six, with more on the way as I spread the news.

[Through Cate, two schools, three churches and the Old Deanery have all twinned loos, with others to follow soon.]

How did you first hear about Toilet Twinning?

Through Cord mailings

What stood out to you and why did you choose to support Toilet Twinning?

It’s immoral that women in particular miss out on education due to lack of sanitation, and just the idea of not having a private place to do the most personal but basic requirements of life is appalling.

How have you encouraged others to support Toilet Twinning?
I am constantly encouraging others to do this, for example, for secret Santas. My husband and I asked for donations for a wedding anniversary present.

Do you have any special Toilet Twinning moments?
Yes − people think I have a toilet fetish or am just mad but it makes them take note. 

What do you appreciate about Toilet Twinning?
It’s practical and, particularly with children, you can engage them in looking up their toilet twin online.

What’s your Toilet Twinning ambition?
That everyone in the world should have access to a toilet and clean water.



How to wash your hands

Well, its been a busy week, starting with World Porridge Day before heading into National Curry Week and National Chocolate Week. After all this focus on food, it seems only reasonable that we finish off with Global Handwashing Day on Saturday.

Although perhaps we should have all washed our hands before embarking on a national week of eating.

If you need any reminders about why handwashing is important, refresh your memory with a doctor’s view of this most essential practice.

Once we’ve got the ‘why’ sorted we need to make sure that we’re washing our hands the right way, for example making sure that we use soap and not just water. If you’re unsure, there are some rather detailed instructions out there!

Apparently, it takes 15–20 seconds to wash your hands properly. If you don’t want to just count to 20, you could try singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to yourself – probably in your head – as this is about the right length.

If you don’t want people to think you’re dropping hints about your birthday, you could invest in a musical handwash timer. These handy (no pun intended) gadgets fit onto your soap dispenser and, when pressed, light up and play music for 20 s.

Unfortunately some families can’t afford soap. Felizo Bigirimana is 35 and lives with his family in Burundi. Hygiene conditions are better now that they have their own latrine, but they don’t always have enough money to buy soap.

Felizo Bigirimana in front of his farm plot 

Cord (one of Toilet Twinning’s founding charities) has set up a Community Seed Centre that provides good quality seeds and cuttings to people like Felizo. This helps them to start growing produce to feed their families and sell for income.

By twinning your toilet, you’re helping Cord and Tearfund to support families like Felizo’s to have access to the basics that we so often take for granted.

Guest Post: Reverend Richard Littledale - A waste of money

Down the toilet

An old friend of mine used to do a party trick. He would ask for a £5 note and then say that there were three songs on it. He would list the songs off as “God save the Queen” and “Rule Britannia”. In answer to the puzzled expressions on the audience’s faces he would then rip the note in half, hand it back to the poor volunteer and say “Who’s sorry now!”. There must be more useful things to do with paper money than that, surely?

Origami artist Won Park would say that there certainly is. He can transform American Dollar bills into anything from a Koi Carp:

Image: maxcdn

to a camera:

Image: maxcdn

There is no doubting the skill involved – but couldn’t the money be turned into something a bit more lasting?

Maybe one of his other sculptures gives a clue:

Image: maxcdn

Without the need for any clever folding or origami magic – paper money could be turned into a real toilet. Far from flushing that money down the drain, it could be turned into a life-changing piece of sanitation. This is what you do:

·                 Take 12 £5 notes

·                 Flatten them out, rather than folding them

·                 Send them to Toilet Twinning and twin your loo

·                 Visit your loo’s location on Google maps

·                 Avoid all party tricks which involve tearing up (yours or other people’s) folding money.

The Rev Richard Littledale is Pastor of Teddington Baptist Church in Middlesex and is a graduate of Spurgeon's College, London and Saint Andrews University. A tutor at The College of Preachers, he has a particular interest in innovative and effective communication. His preaching has featured on BBC Radio 4 and he is a regular on BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought. He is the author of Stale Bread?: A Handbook for Spreading the Story and The preacher’s A to Z and writes as a columnist for The Baptist Times. You can find his blog at http://www.richardlittledale.wordpress.com/

His new book Who needs words: a Christian communication handbook, was published last week in print and on Kindle