WOULDN'T you have loved to be able to throw wet sponges at some
of your teachers? That is what the children at Neville's Cross
Primary School, Durham, were able to do, and all
in a good cause. They were raising funds for the Toilet Twinning
scheme, which twins lavatories in the UK and in the developing
world.
The idea had been suggested to the school by Canon Judy Hirst,
Missioner to the Durham diocese and Associate Priest of St John's,
Neville's Cross. "We have loads of toilets," she told them,
"probably more than we need, but lots of people don't. . . I
challenged the children in an assembly to raise £60 to twin a
school toilet, and they ended up twinning six."
The head teacher, Pam Monaghan, who was pelted with sponges to
raise funds, said that the challenge had raised the children's
awareness of hygiene and sanitation around the world, and they were
keen to twin as many lavatories as possible. "They really rose to
the challenge. Some even brought more money than we asked, so that
they could throw more sponges at the teachers."
The funds they raised will go towards providing sanitation in
Afghanistan, Burundi, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and
Uganda.