Newcastle student takes his place on the fourth plinth - as a toilet

Credit: WaterAid / David Axelbank

10 July 2009

A loo with a strong message for Gordon Brown was the highlight of the third day of the Fourth Plinth project in London's Trafalgar Square.

Newcastle University student Jon Guest teamed up with WaterAid and dressed up as a giant toilet to highlight the global water and sanitation crisis ahead of the G8 summit in Italy this week.

Jon said: "There are 2.5 billion people in the world who don't have anywhere safe to go to the toilet and 4,000 child deaths from diarrhoea every day. Today is the day that the G8 leaders could take real action to save millions of lives and I'm using my slot on the Fourth Plinth to urge them to do so. Everyone should have access to safe water and sanitation; these are fundamental human rights."

• For more information please contact:
  Mel Tompkins, meltompkins@wateraid.org or call 020 7793 4995.

Notes to Editor

WaterAid enables the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. Our vision is of a world where everyone has access to these basic human rights which underpin health, education and livelihoods forming the first, essential step in overcoming poverty.

• At least 4000 children die every day as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
• 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population.
• 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population.
• WaterAid projects providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education cost just £15 per head.

About the Fourth Plinth:

Over 14,000 people applied to take part in Antony Gormley's 'One and Other' project which will see a different person take their place on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth every hour, 24 hours a day for 100 days starting from 6 July. Each person will be on the plinth for one hour and can use their time as they like – to perform, to demonstrate, or simply to reflect. Go to www.oneandother.co.uk (opens in a new window) for more information.