Bedford wins “Toilet Twinned Town” status

In a stranger than usual public event held in the Changing Places accessible public toilet in River Street Car Park, two further toilets in Bedford were twinned, bringing the total to more than 20 in supporting Bedford Park Rotary Club's Toilet Twinning campaign, highlighting sanitation needs and improving sanitation across the globe. The other Borough Council twinned toilet is in Borough Hall

Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said, "Congratulations must go to Bedford Park Rotary Club for organising this unusual twinning. We are proud to be a part of this important cause and to be making a positive impact on the lives of people around the world."

Peter Roberts, President-Elect of Bedford Park Rotary, said, "Thanks so much to everyone who has supported this campaign - our members and supporters who helped us fundraise for this vital work, the local businesses, churches and organisations that have agreed to twin their toilets and of course the Mayor and Council for their support which is a requirement for the Toilet Twinned Town status. By twinning a toilet for £60 it pays for the basic equipment and the local people do the building, using the expertise of Toilet Twinning's local partners."

"The more toilets we can twin, the more people will have a safe and proper place to go to the loo, and fewer people will die from preventable diseases caused by lack of sanitation."

Councillor Henry Vann, Portfolio Holder Town Centres and Planning, added, "This is a great achievement and we can build on it further - encouraging residents and businesses to join in by twinning their toilets. Some 2.3 billion people worldwide still do not have access to a proper toilet.

"It has also been great to highlight, through this scheme, our own accessible facilities in the town centre - from the Changing Places Toilet in River Street car park which is now twinned, to the wider Public and Community Toilet Scheme!"

The toilet twinning program allows individuals and organisations to make a donation to twin their toilet with a latrine in a developing country, providing safe and clean sanitation to those in need. You can also now twin taps with a water pump or tap overseas and bins to help fund a community project that's preventing disease, protecting the environment and creating jobs. For more details visit www.toilettwinning.org.