21
April
2013
|
23:00
Europe/London

Hackney parents bid for nappy record

  • Parent and child wearing real nappy
    Parent and child who took part in the Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013. Photo credit: Hackney Council/Emily Gray Photography
  • Mother and child in real nappy week
    Parent and child who took part in the Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013. Photo credit: Hackney Council/Emily Gray Photography
  • Parent with child wearing real nappy
    Parent and child who took part in the Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013. Photo credit: Hackney Council/Emily Gray Photography
  • Parent and child at Great Cloth Nappy Change
    Parent and child who took part in the Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013. Photo credit: Hackney Council/Emily Gray Photography
  • Baby taking part in real nappy fashion show
    Child taking part in the real nappy fashion show at V&A Museum of Childhood as part of Real Nappy Week 2013. Photo credit: Hackney Council/Emily Gray Photography
  • Parent and baby at Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013
    Parent and child who took part in the Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013. Photo credit: Hackney Council/Emily Gray Photography
  • Child at Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013
    One of the children who took part in the Great Cloth Nappy Change 2013. Photo credit: Hackney Council/Emily Gray Photography

Parents from around North and East London gathered in Bethnal Green to help break a world record for the most reusable nappies changed at once.

On Saturday 22 April parents from around the globe changed their children's nappies at the same time in a bid to promote real nappy use.

In 2012, 14 parents met at Hackney's Round Chapel and helped set the initial record of 8,251 babies changed in 189 locations on four continents.

This year's Great Cloth Nappy Change looks set to smash that record with 25 babies (and their parents) taking part, with some coming from Lewisham to Bethnal Green help set a new record at the V&A Museum of Childhood.

Cllr Feryal Demirci, Hackney's Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, acted as a witness for the record attempt.

“
Cllr Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Hackney Council
The Great Cloth Nappy Change was a fantastic event and an opportunity for parents and their babies to help break a world record, raising awareness of an important environmental issue at the same time. It's estimated that if parents use disposable nappies they could be sending more than 1.2 tonnes of waste to landfill over two and a half years. Reusable nappies save money and they reduce the amount of rubbish in landfill.
Cllr Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Hackney Council
„

Hackney parent, Rachel Thomas, said: "I use real nappies because green issues are really important to me; I think we should try and treat our world with respect and make as little negative impact on it as possible. Reusable nappies are also cheaper in the long run and come in cute designs.

"The event was great fun, especially the fashion show where my little boy modelled his Star Wars nappy, and was a really good opportunity to meet other parents and promote real nappies to a wider audience."

The event, part of Real Nappy Week in the UK and Real Diaper Week in the US, requires participants to use 100% reusable nappies.

Reusable nappies are subsidised for parents in London, with free £54 nappy vouchers available for new parents to spend on 'real' (washable) nappies.

London currently sends around 90,000 tonnes of disposable nappies to landfill each year, which could take up to 500 years to biodegrade. Using real nappies helps to reduce this amount and can also save parents £500 for their babies.

The event also featured a real nappy fashion show to demonstrate the range of designs available for babies as well as stalls, information and a prize draw. It was organised by Hackney Real Nappy Network on behalf of Camden, Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets Councils.

To register for a real nappy voucher visit: http://www.realnappiesforlondon.org.uk