Lifestraw

 At any given moment, about half of the world's poor are suffering from waterborne diseases, of which over 6,000 people – mainly children – die each day by consuming unsafe drinking water.

  Today, more than 1bn people are without access to safe water - and this lack of a safe water supply robs hundreds of women and girls of dignity, energy and time.

  Safe water interventions, therefore, have vast potential to transform the lives of millions - especially in crucial areas such as eradicating poverty and improving the environment, quality of life, child development and gender equality.

  The Switzerland-based firm Vestergaard Frandsen has designed the aptly named ‘LifeStraw’, a simple water purification tool 25cm long by 2.9cm wide.  It uses seven types of filters to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites to make dirty water clean enough to drink.

  Priced at £1.50 each - ten times lower than anything else on the market - Lifestraw has been used successfully in Africa, Asia and South America.

Spotted in ‘The Metro’ by Peter Kelleher.

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Open Door update

  We had a fantastic response to our request for donated clothes and toiletries from local people, but we still require regular donations of fresh food in order to prepare nutritious meals throughout the year. Staff and volunteers continue to provide a warm and safe environment for some of our district's most vulnerable adults.

  The latest user statistics for the first five months of 2006, compared with the same period in 2005, include: the number of clients given housing advice rose from 193 to 274.  The number of service users for the Day Centre also rose from 1,534 to 2,139, and 195 more bed spaces are used in the Night Shelter compared with this time last year.  This shows that there is an increasing demand for our vital service, thus putting more demand on our resources. 

  The work carried out by project staff, supported by our donors and volunteers, really does make a difference to people's lives.  Thank you for your support.

By Denise Rogers, Team Leader at Open Door.

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CTM Community Fun Day

The CTM Community Fun Day, held in July, provided lots to keep people occupied during the afternoon.  This included a Bouncy castle, archery, crafts, nail and face painting, local singing/dance group displays, games, a football tournament, a wide variety of stalls with challenges - and our star guest, Roly Bain, a clowning vicar, who walked the tightrope!

   Although this was not a fund raising event, over £500 was raised for Open Door, a local charity supporting the homeless; £30.30 was raised for Christian Aid, £68.10 for Fair Trade; £25.00 for Cancer charities; £24.00 for Shooting Star, and considerable amounts were also raised by the local schools, Cubs, Scouts and Brownies for their own purposes.

  Many thanks once again to all those who helped make this very much a ‘community’ fun day.

By Jo Gill