Wetherby appeal is flushed with success

Wetherby Toilet Twinning success as a certificate is presented to the Town Council by the President of Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District, Mrs Val Hills and received by Mayor Coun Neil O’Byrne.

A Wetherby charity appeal is flushed with success after hitting its campaign target in just under a year.

The town’s Lions and Soroptimists last July set out to achieve Toilet Twinned Town status when they asked people to sponsor 30 lavatories at £60 each to aid underdeveloped countries.

And the call has been answered, said Heather Shipman of the Soroptimists, who added: “We are delighted to have fulfilled, in fact exceeded, the required number of toilets needed to be twinned in order to achieve the status of a Toilet Twinned Town.

“We would like to thank the organisations, schools and individuals who supported this initiative.

“We have twinned 33 toilets in total, including some toilet blocks.”

Wetherby Town Council also backed the appeal to fund water and sanitation projects.

A certificate was recently handed to the council by the President of Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District, Mrs Val Hills and received by the Mayor Coun Neil O’Byrne.

But Heather added: “The project has not ended.

“It is a shocking and sobering fact that two billion people in some of the poorest countries of the world, do not have somewhere safe to go to the toilet.

“People become sick through sanitation related diseases which means they cannot work or farm their land.

“Moreover, according to the UN, almost 1000 children die every day from preventable diseases linked to dirty water and poor sanitation.”

Anyone interested in twinning a toilet should contact Heather Shipman at [email protected]