Central Hall Westminster today announces that it has collected over £52,000 since it began supporting the Toilet Twinning charity which works to provide water and sanitation to poverty-stricken families around the world.
The central London conference and events centre raised the money via collection boxes within the building before CHW had to close its doors at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The donation boxes are situated outside customer toilets, next to visitor entrances, and in the Great Hall foyer. As well as donations from event attendees and the Methodist church congregation, visitors receiving a free tour around the iconic building also generously gave money as a thank you.
Central Hall Westminster adopted the charity in 2017 in partnership with Methodist Central Hall Westminster. The Methodist church originally set up Central Hall Westminster Ltd to provide funds to maintain its iconic and architecturally significant Grade II* Listed building and provide income to support the local church mission and ministry, as well as donate to many UK and international charities.
Visitors and event professionals were asked to donate their loose change to help poorer communities gain access to a proper latrine, clean water and receive hygiene training. Central Hall Westminster’s support is particularly welcome, as Toilet Twinning has been working hard to promote handwashing and hygiene in vulnerable communities in response to the current pandemic.
The venue has also twinned some of its own toilets through the scheme which asks businesses and individuals to ‘twin’ their toilets in return for a £60 donation. The donor then receives a certificate of their toilet’s twin containing a photo, the latrine’s location, and its GPS coordinates which they can proudly display in their smallest room.
Central Hall Westminster Managing Director, Paul Southern, comments: “We are delighted that we have reached another great milestone after initially collecting over £20,000 in the first 18 months. It is now more important than ever before to help the more vulnerable members of society who may not have access to clean water. As an events venue that exists to provide money for the upkeep of this beautiful building and charitable works around the world, this scheme is an additional way to contribute to causes we feel strongly about. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed towards the Toilet Twinning fundraising. Working in partnership with the Methodist Central Hall, we are looking forward to collecting money again for this very worthy cause once the building opens again in the autumn.
Toilet Twinning CEO, Lorraine Kingsley, adds: ‘In the current Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring that communities have access to clean water and understand the importance of handwashing and good hygiene, is vital – so we’re particularly grateful for Central Hall Westminster’s support right now. And the work they’ve helped fund in the past means that many communities are more able to protect themselves from health risks such as coronavirus today.
“To have such prominent collection points in a lively, busy place is just wonderful, not just because visitors are so generous but also because lots of people hear about our work and go on to support us individually too. We’re privileged to have such a longstanding, fruitful partnership with such an iconic building and with such a great team of people,” she added.
