Celebrities design ‘best seat in the house’ to mark World Toilet Day

Celebrities including Harry Hill, Boy George and Martin Parr have designed their own loo seats as part of a project with charity WaterAid to mark World Toilet Day.

The Best Seat In The House artworks include a golden throne, “punk” designs, and a seat covered in blue fabric.

One in five people around the world have “no decent toilet at home” and 800 children a day die of diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water, according to WaterAid.

The charity’s Thirst For Knowledge appeal is raising money to provide toilets and clean water to communities in Nepal.

It teamed up with renowned photographer Rankin “to help elevate the status of the humble loo and celebrate them for the lifesavers they are”.

Comedian Hill said: “Toilets I have discovered, thanks to this collaboration with WaterAid, are a serious business.

“One in five people around the world does not have a decent toilet at home, which puts their health and safety at risk.

“That’s where the idea of toilets being lucky items came from, which inspired my toilet seat design.

“Plus the seat kind of reminded me of a horse shoe.

“They may not quite be able to ward off devils, ghosts and junk-mail, as I suggest in my design, but if they can protect people from disease and keep kids in school, then they are the ‘Best Seat In The House’ in my book.”

Val Garland, a make-up artist and judge on BBC TV series Glow Up, said: “The idea I want to highlight is that the humble toilet seat, our reality, which we take for granted, for some is unfortunately an unobtainable luxury, a rarefied object.

“The modest everyday object is transformed into a high art sculpture symbolising the impossible dream that we must make into reality.”

Tim Wainwright, chief executive at WaterAid, said: “When there are no toilets in schools, girls often skip class during their period or drop out altogether when they reach puberty, holding them back from fulfilling their potential.”

He added that to mark World Toilet Day on Friday, “we are sharing the message that toilets save lives, and are raising money to help get clean water and toilets to schools and communities around the world”.