Bathroom retailer Ripples has celebrated the build of a girls’ toilet block at a school in India, thanks to its fundraising efforts.

Ripples raised over £20,000 through a Mount Snowdon charity hike, for sanitation charity The Cycle, which improves sanitation in underprivileged communities.

More than 30 participants, including franchisees, designers, suppliers and friends of the brand, ascended over 1,000 metres to Wales’ highest peak to raise funds.

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Built in partnership with The Cycle, the facility will provide 140 female students and 15 female teachers with safe, dignified and hygienic sanitation facilities for the first time.

Prior to this project, female students at the Government Higher Secondary School in P. Pudupatti, had access to just one broken squat pan and were forced to navigate muddy, unsafe conditions, increasing their risk of infections and safety concerns.

Now, with the completion of the new facility, students and teachers have access to a fully equipped toilet block featuring toilets, a separate changing room with a menstrual waste incinerator, improved pathways, a new handwashing station and a safe drinking water facility using a terracotta filter.

Beyond the construction, the initiative also bolstered The Cycle’s ‘Happy Periods’ training programme to, educate students about menstrual hygiene.

The charity will also conduct ongoing monitoring to ensure the facilities remain well-maintained and hygiene practices continue to be upheld.

Managing director of Ripples Paul Crow reflected on the project’s success: “We are incredibly proud to see this life-changing project completed and officially opened.

“Having supported The Cycle for over a decade and raised more than £85,000 to aid their crucial work, we know just how transformative these sanitation solutions can be.

“The Snowdon challenge was an incredible way to raise awareness and funds and seeing the impact firsthand is truly humbling.

“These new facilities will improve the health, dignity, and education of young girls for years to come.”

Padmapriya, CEO of The Cycle, expressed her gratitude: “This project has changed lives in the school. It’s not only improving the health and hygiene of girls but has also created safe access and a dignified environment that supports their education and long-term wellbeing.

“This project is an investment in brighter futures and we’re so grateful to Ripples for their incredible deeds and commitment to making this possible.”