In this week’s issue is a report on how WaterAid is stepping up its advocacy on behalf of the 2.5 billion people across the globe that don’t have a toilet. It’s when we think about statements like that – two fifths of the world’s population having to get by without a toilet – that we realise just how lucky we are in the developed world.

But while the vast majority of us in the UK have toilets in our homes and workplaces, the number of facilities available for us to use outside these havens, is dwindling rapidly. If it continues the way it is for much longer, many of us will one day become elderly people who are confined to our homes, afraid to be ‘caught short’ away from home and perhaps miles away from a decent washroom.

Fighting hard to bring attention to the need to keep the nation’s washrooms open, clean and well-stocked, are Mike Bone of the Loo of the Year Awards and the team from the British Toilet Association. If you’re not familiar with the Awards, they’re open to any ‘away from home’ washroom, (yes – anywhere you can think of, from high end hotel, club, bar or restaurant to visitor attractions, shopping malls and motorway service centres) and the publicity everyone involved receives – whether as winners, finalists, or sponsors - is far reaching.

Although I’ve always attended the Awards in my capacity as an editor in the cleaning industry, the connection between public washrooms and the KBB industry has not escaped me. I’ve judged entries in the past and it’s your hardware I’ve been examining and the architects, designers, builders and specialist tradespeople from this industry – and no doubt some of the retailers - who’ve put them in there. We stand for many of the same things… ensuring that we as human beings have access to good washroom facilities and thus be clean and comfortable – and our growing need to conserve water, are two that immediately spring to mind.

Mike’s eager to sign up some new sponsors for 2014 and beyond. Why not consider supporting a very worthwhile cause while benefiting from the global publicity this awards programme inevitably brings to all those involved? You can contact Mike via:

T: +44 (0) 1403 258779 | E: [email protected] | W: www.loo.co.uk

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Yours,

Jan Hobbs