THE community of Fordingbridge have joined forces to help flush away poverty.

The town has become a toilet twinned town with Uganda. There are nearly 50 twinned toilets in churches, schools, community buildings, pubs, cafes and homes in the town, which are now linked with latrines all across the world, including Afghanistan, Congo, Honduras, Cambodia, Malawi, and Liberia.

Toilet Twinning is a water and sanitation initiative designed to help those in desperate poverty to have access to a proper toilet and clean water.

Reverend Rachel Noel, the assistant curate of the Avon Valley Partnership, who has been instrumental in the project in the town, said: "We are so excited that Fordingbridge is now a Toilet Twinned Town. Every minute a child dies from diseases linked to unclear water and poor sanitation; 60 per cent of all rural diseases worldwide are caused by poor hygiene and sanitation. Girls stay in education longer past puberty and improve their life chances if they have access to toilets.

"We hope that by raising awareness and working together to raise funds, we can help to solve a serious problem around the world.

Fundraising for the Toilet Twinning started last year with cake sales, and collecting coins in Smarties tubes and spending a penny when you "spend a penny".

The monies raised are enabling Toilet Twinning, a partnership between development agencies Cord and Tearfund, to help some of the 2.5 billion people worldwide who lack decent sanitation.

Breamore School, and Fordingbridge Infants and Junior schools have also got involved, and have been collecting coins in raisin boxes, and filled a toilet to overflowing with their contributions to the initiative. Fordingbridge Infants and Junior schools have both had their school toilet blocks twinned with schools in Malawi.

On Friday (November 17), to coincide with World Toilet Day on Sunday, November 19, the town's “Toilet Twinned Town” status was recognised with a special presentation to the Mayor, Cllr Malcolm Connolly, at assemblies at Fordingbridge Infant and Junior schools.

Reverend Noel said: "We’ve taken a new loo on tour round our schools, to help the children here appreciate how great an invention the toilet is, and how fortunate we are to have such great facilities in our homes and communities."

Cllr Connolly said: "It has been a worthwhile venture."

He hopes to recruit fellow town councillors to twin their toilets, adding: "This was really eye opening. My thanks go to Rachel Noel who came up with the idea."

For more information about Toilet Twinning go to toilettwinning.org.