It’ll be all cisterns go on the Isle of Man tomorrow, 18th March, as it celebrates becoming the world’s first Toilet Twinned Island.
A special loo-themed van topped with a toilet will be making a Toilet Tour of the island, visiting landmark loos en route, to celebrate Manx campaigners winning this prestigious award.
Its final destination will be the Legislative Buildings in Douglas where many toilet twinners are expected to attend a special award ceremony.
Over the past two years, Islanders have been on a roll ‘twinning’ with more than 130 latrines and a school block overseas, through the charity initiative Toilet Twinning. It raises funds to provide proper toilets, clean water and hygiene education in developing countries, by encouraging people in the UK to twin their loo and fund a latrine abroad.
Islanders’ passion for privies was ignited by Rosemary Clarke and colleagues at the One World Centre in St Johns when they launched a ‘Twin your toilet’ campaign with Churches Together in Mann during One World Week in 2014.
Since then, many different groups have come on board, from Appleby law firm and Ballakermeen High School in Douglas, to The Deanery & Peel Cathedral in Peel. Staff at the Department of Education and Children at Hamilton House in Douglas twinned their loo and Broadway Baptist Church, Douglas, has twinned all 11 of its toilets – plus four others.
The 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.
On tomorrow’s Toilet Tour, being billed as an alternative TT, Rosemary will accompany Toilet Twinning CEO Lorraine Kingsley as they visit many of the twinned toilets on the island. Lorraine will present the award at a 4pm reception at the Tynwald, hosted by Ray Harmer MHK and David Anderson MLC.
Rosemary said: ‘Toilets and sewage have been a controversial topic on the Island in recent years - but we should never take for granted the fact that we have proper sanitation, when one in three people in the world does not.
‘It’s been wonderful to see people’s enthusiasm grow as they’ve grasped just how much of a difference having a toilet can make to families and whole communities elsewhere.’
Lorraine Kingsley added: ‘Our Toilet Twinned award is given to communities which pull out all the stops to help provide life-saving sanitation in poor countries. Manx generosity has been amazing and it’s been wonderful to watch as different groups have pulled together to raise funds. A proper toilet is a vital first step out of poverty for a poor family so Manx twinners can be proud that they’ll have changed many people’s lives forever.’
The Toilet Twinning’s virtual map shows many of the Isle of Man’s twinned toilets.
