MEMBERS of Malton and Norton Fairtrade group are encouraging people to “twin a toilet” and help those in developing countries who do not have access to safe sanitation.

The group, which holds various fundraising events throughout the year, decided to put some of the money raised towards the toilet twinning project

Helen Morgan, a member of Malton and Norton Fairtrade Group, said: “As well as belonging to the Malton and Norton Fairtrade group I am also a Soroptimist.

“Last year at the Soroptimist Federation conference in Liverpool, we had a speaker from Toilet Twinning. I was able to get some information about toilet twinning and had our toilet at home twinned by my husband for me as a Christmas present.”

Helen said by donating £60 to twin your toilet, people help fund a project in a poor community that will enable families to build a basic toilet, have access to clean water and learn about hygiene – a vital combination that saves lives.

Helen said: “One in three people worldwide do not have access to somewhere safe, private or hygienic to go to the toilet.

“Every two minutes a child dies from diarrhoeal diseases and 60 per cent of all rural diseases, in the developing world, are caused by poor hygiene and sanitation.

“Every year the Malton and Norton Fairtrade Group hold various Christmas stalls and our Fairtrade Fortnight craft fair and we use our surplus takings from these events to support charities that we think share our values, so this year we decided to twin three toilets in Malton.

“We hold our meetings at the Blue Ball so we were very pleased when Chris Clayton, landlady of the Blue Ball, agreed to have the ladies toilets twinned and likewise Lisa Bruce, the new landlady, at The Rose and Crown, formerly Suddaby’s, also agreed to let us twin their ladies toilet.

“We hope that people seeing these certificates might be interested to twin their own toilet or office toilet.”

For more information, go to toilettwinning.org