Toilets across Marshfield have been twinned with loos in Uganda through the efforts of church members at St Marys.
Organisers of the annual Lenten Lunches had initially wanted to twin the church's two new toilets with ones in the Link Diocese. Donations from those attending the lunches raised 670.
But rather than settle for two twinned toilets, St Marys asked other organisations and businesses in the town to let the church twin their toilets as well. As a result, 12 lavatories have now been twinned meaning Marshfield has been awarded Toilet Twinned Village status.
Revd Sally Wheeler, Vicar of St Marys and Area Dean for Chippenham, said: We have worked with Marshfield Chapel to raise the money and awareness of this simple way to make a difference. It has helped build further connections with our Church School, the Church Hall and the Parish Council (the public loos in the High Street are now twinned!) and we look forward to other local businesses joining in as word gets around.
Toilet Twinning is a campaign to help the 2.4 billion people who dont have access to a safe, private and hygienic loo. It is a partnership between Tearfund and Cord to raise funds to help provide better sanitation, clean water and hygiene education.
For 60, people can twin a toilet at home, work or school with a latrine in a variety of countries overseas. Each UK toilet twinned is awarded a Toilet Twinning certifi cate, with a photo of its twin latrine and exact GPS coordinates.
What next?
- Twin your toilet - find out how you can get involved at www.toilettwinning.org.
- Think about ways you can support the work taking place in our link dioceses in Uganda. Contact Chris Dobson, Global Partnership Officer, at chris.dobson@bristoldiocese.org or call 0117 906 0100.