Residents at a North Yorkshire care home are going the extra mile to help people thousands of miles away who lack access to clean water and safe sanitation.
The community at Hazelgrove Court Care Home in Saltburn have raised money for Tearfund's Toilet Twinning initiative after learning about the challenges faced by many less fortunate than themselves.
The scheme raises funds for safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene education in some of the world's poorest communities.
Hazelgrove Court Care Home volunteer Lynn Walshaw with her cartoon toilet scavenger hunt entry.
(Image: Hill Care)
After deciding to twin one of the home's toilets with a community in Tanzania, residents set about raising the required £60 through a series of fundraising activities.
Among them was a scavenger hunt featuring cartoon characters sitting on toilets, with clues leading residents to uncover the tongue twister: "Ten tiny turtles took the toilet to the town."
Residents also took part in Tearfund's Ready Set Flush quiz, testing their knowledge of sanitation and water use around the world.
Anne Clark, 89, was delighted to win the quiz, but admitted some of the facts came as a surprise.
She said: "I cannot believe the average person uses 57 sheets of toilet paper a day. I have all my family counting now."
The idea for the challenge came about after activities coordinator Sharon Lewis contacted Redcar and Cleveland Twinning Association to find out whether Saltburn was twinned with another town.
Sharon said: "Unfortunately, Saltburn is not officially twinned with another city, but the association did say you can twin your toilet. So this is what we did."
Hazelgrove Court Care Home resident Barry Taylor, 86, with the home’s toilet twinning certificate from charity Tearfund.
(Image: Hill Care)
After learning more about the charity's work, residents were eager to get involved.
Sharon added: "We don't think twice about flushing the loo or washing our hands but for millions it is a luxury they don't have.
"According to Tearfund, a thousand children under five die every day because of dirty water and toilets. When our residents heard about this they all agreed our toilet had to be twinned.
"It helps people learn about hygiene and health in local classes, have access to safe and clean water and get materials so they can build their own toilets."
Resident Sheila O'Neill, 86, was so inspired by the campaign that she suggested the home should do even more.
She said: "We have more than one toilet in Hazelgrove. We should twin them all and help all the poor children."
Sharon said residents had enjoyed the challenge while learning more about the struggles faced by communities elsewhere in the world.
She said: "Although this is a very serious problem, we have all had fun raising the money, especially with the answers to the quiz. Now we might take Sheila's suggestion and twin all our toilets."
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- For more information on the Tearfund toilet twinning programme, visit: https://toilettwinning.org/
Stuart Lee, global fundraising and communications director at Tearfund, said support from residents in care homes and communities across the country was helping tackle a major global issue.
He said: "Their incredible support is helping us tackle a huge global issue – around 1.5 billion people, or nearly one in five worldwide, still don't have access to a safe, clean toilet."
"The residents here are showing us all how simple actions, like twinning a loo, can truly change lives."