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| BTA AUTUMN 2005 NEWSLETTER |
OCTOBER 2005 |
Director's Review
[Download the British Toilet Association Autumn 2005 Newsletter in PDF format (file size 1.6MB, this file may take a few moments to download completely) ...]
Autumn is upon us and the Spring Newsletter already seems a long way away.
I suggested then that 2005 would be a climactic year for the BTA and so it is turning out to be.
This Autumn Special Newsletter is being prepared to coincide with the 2005 World Toilet Summit, which we are hosting for the first time in the West, on behalf of The World Toilet Organisation.
We look forward to welcoming the 300+ delegates from twenty or more different countries, all eager to exchange views and ideas about ‘away from home’ toilet provision and to build the global network of contacts. This network is vital if we are to enable the voice of The World Toilet Organisation to be heard at Government level all around the world.
Jack Sim, Founder of the WTO, is definitely a man with a mission and is already making his mark within various global organisations.
Toilet standards impact on everybody at whatever level and we all have a unique opportunity to raise the political profile of this life surviving basic daily need.
As toilet campaigners, we must also encourage the development of new products and services which will provide solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s toileting needs.
Above all,we must represent the needs of toilet users, of all ages and backgrounds,many of whom have had to put up with poor or non-existent sanitary provision for far too long.
This is the 21st century and, while we must continue to campaign for standards which we feel are appropriate for our own economic and political agenda, we must not forget the significant percentage of global population (nearly 3 billion!) who do not currently have even a basic standard of provision.
Toilet standards here in the UK are definitely improving in an increasing number of establishments and we must praise those dedicated managers and staff responsible for making this happen. Our campaigning message is primarily for those who still feel that toilet provision is not their problem but somebody else’s and who often provide an unacceptably low level of toilet service for customers and staff.
We hope that one day there will be minimum standards covering provision of ‘away from home’ toilets, with independent annual audits to ensure levels of hygiene and safety are being maintained.
Our major political breakthrough this year is a request by Local Government Minister, Phil Woolas, for a meeting to discuss how we can progress the issue of public toilet provision. So campaigning does work — although it has taken six years for this to happen! The meeting takes place in early October. We’ll keep you posted.
May I thank the six companies identified on the front of this Newsletter for their generous sponsorship. We are a non-profit making organisation and, as you can imagine, staging a World Conference is a costly business.We are very grateful to our Summit sponsors and Northern Ireland funding partners who have enabled us to stage the 2005 Summit in Belfast.
Finally, I thank all our members who continue to believe in the BTA’s campaign and, in so doing, are helping to carve out the way forward.Where and how this way progresses, I cannot tell but looking back over the six years since the Association was formed, I feel we have, together, raised the profile of ‘away from home’ toilets quite significantly. If this is the only legacy I leave behind then I will feel somewhat relieved (no pun intended!). I would, however, prefer to achieve our primary political goal of some regulatory framework for provision by all types of provider with minimum standards of specification and cleanliness. This has to come sooner rather than later.
This would not only benefit the users themselves (that’s all of us!) but also the product and service suppliers and, of course, the loo providers, who would then realise the marketing opportunities awaiting to be exploited through their high quality toilets.
This is not being prophetic. Many providers have already seen the light and are reaping the commercial rewards through winning Loo of the Year Awards.
It’s not magic — just good basic management!
Richard Chisnell
Director
British Toilet Association
September 2005
[Download the British Toilet Association Autumn 2005 Newsletter in PDF format (file size 1.6MB, this file may take a few moments to download completely) ...]
For further information contact:
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British
Toilet Association |
Richard Chisnell
Phone: +44 (0) 1962 850277 |
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