Grateful thanks to East Suffolk Councillors, Geoff Wakeling and Beth Keyes Holloway who found funding for us from their Enabling Community Budget. Completed September 2024.
We needed this toilet. We had Clarissa our first woodland compost toilet, now 8 years old, but this was up steps and it was the ONLY ONE. With Elders and a need for TWO we asked for this funding. Based on buying a compost toilet off the shelf, we asked for 2,000. The one off the shelf was not only ‘shelf made’ somewhere, may be in China, but was also not wide or deep or bespoke enough for a disabled person, which we also needed to cater for.
By great chance Majorleam had just designed and built one such toilet for her father. She had all the skills and more, she had Dutch Design Style (DDS). She made the toilet during the coppicing season, and utilised all the off cuts of hazel as wall paper. Here are the before and after images, together with a MOVIE.
Thank you Geoff, Beth and East Suffolk, for enabling this to happen.
Clive Before
A makeshift toilet was created 3 years ago at the start of the Elders project, but rarely used. A curtain for a door, a ramp for the change of level.
Clive After
Size and space calculated for wheel chair access and ease of movement within the space. Cement floor created for a smooth surface for wheels. Made during the coppice season, Marjolein used the sticks of hazel as the wallpaper. Plenty of air circulating but not direct to make it cold. Day light from high windows, frosted at eye level for privacy. Solar light installed. Urine separator. Container for woodchip. A beautiful handle. A lock with green and red indicators.
The Movie
There is a movement to change the name, as if Clive is not a beautiful enough name to represent the new beautiful toilet.
July 2024/ Rachel Kellett
Kinda Elders in the woods 