by Fern Shaw | Sep 19, 2019 | aquaid, Water
We know that our approach this #TalkLikeAPirateDay has been slightly tongue-in-cheek, but often here at AquAid, that’s how we rrrrrrrrollllll. Seriously though, our approach might be light-hearted but the truth of it is, in order for you to be able to look after your voice, you need to drink water more.
Because we may take the ability to speak as a given and a function that should just ‘work’, it’s easy to forget that, our vocal chords, like all other body parts, need proper hydration in order to function well.
A few factors that can negatively affect vocal chords:
Commuting and other daily physical activity makes us sweat. When we sweat, we lose water and may easily become dehydrated without realising we are.
External factors such as heat, humidity and dry air. Artificial air in any closed environment such as in airplanes or road vehicles as well as air-conditioning or heating can dry out your environment and you very easily.
Certain cold and allergy medications, including decongestants and antihistamines, have a drying effect to the body.
Another factor is the intake of dehydrating drinks such as coffee, black tea, other caffeinated drinks and alcohol.
Consider the following:
If you have a dry throat when it’s time for you to speak, you’re already dehydrated. According to an article by The Complete Vocal Coach, it ‘can take up to four hours for water to reach your vocal folds’. If your voice is your profession (and for millions of people, their voices are just that), it’s imperative that you take care of your vocal chords.
Rather sip water throughout the day, and don’t wait until you get thirsty. This means an average of 10 glasses of water per day for men and around 8 glasses per day for women.
If you’re unsure about how much water you should be drinking per day, based on your weight and activity levels, refer to this useful guide at the AquAid website.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 6, 2019 | aquaid, Water Coolers
AquAid definitely offer more than industry standards when it comes to the supplier / customer relationship.
Of course we pride ourselves on the ever important customer service while supplying top quality, highly effective and user friendly range of water coolers, boilers and water fountains – all with a guaranteed next day delivery service.
The ‘more’ is something of which we’re especially proud: the knowledge that an integral part of a successful business model is in giving back and since AquAid’s inception, something we’ve practised. How? By ensuring that a portion of our water cooler sales is donated to sustainable charities.
One of the most recent examples of how this is achieved was when we invited Swiis International to participate in building an Elephant Pump in Africa on their behalf.
“Here at Swiis International (and our sister companies; Swiis Foster Care, Swiis Foster Care Scotland and Swiis Health and Social Care), we are aware that keeping our staff members hydrated will aid them to perform at their very best throughout the working day. As a result, we decided to invest in water coolers from AquAid.
Our partnership with AquAid has also given our company the opportunity to help those less fortunate than ourselves. With each purchase an automatic donation is made to the Africa Trust and these funds are used to build ‘Elephant Pumps’ – a modified version of an age old Chinese rope pulley system. One such pump is currently being installed in Africa on our behalf and it will be a much needed source of clean and fresh drinking water for many.
Our organisation’s name will be proudly displayed on the well and we look forward to adding both photos and feedback from the villagers to our website in the near future.
To date, AquAid have built over 8,000 such Elephant Pumps across parts of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Liberia; and have donated in excess of £15 million to charity.”
We’re delighted that Swiis International agreed to take part in this initiative and we look forward to being able to present a certificate and photo of their well in honour of their participation in the near future.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 15, 2019 | aquaid, Water, water cooler
Easter is an extraordinarily significant annual period for millions of people globally. It signifies a combination of both sombre and celebratory observances across many belief’s calendars.
One element that has a large significance in these observances is that of water. A few examples from around the globe are:
Neighbourhood children in Poland practice a particularly joyful Easter Monday tradition. They drench one another with buckets of water (often while the victim is still asleep in bed). One theory attributes the practice to the botanical affections of European pagans, likening the waterlogging of friends to the saturation of the holy Corn Mother.
More water splashing takes place at an annual Water Festival in several countries in Southeast Asia. In addition to the simple splashing of water, the Asian cultures’ variation on the Polish practice involves boat races, floating river lanterns, and the dousing of a Buddhist statue. The holiday is rooted in the Dai association of water with religious purity, good luck, and good will. Soaking your friend or neighbour with a hearty splash is meant to bestow him or her with good fortune.
In Switzerland, people decorate wells and fountains leading up to Easter. Decorating a well symbolises the honouring of water, which is essential for life, and Easter, the feast of renewed life.
Here at AquAid, we’re very cognisant of the importance of water in our daily lives and we’re sure each of our 23 branches no doubt celebrates Easter in their own manner. From us to you, however you choose to celebrate Easter; we do hope it’s peaceful and blessed.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 1, 2019 | aquaid, Water Coolers
Love it or hate it, today’s that one day of the year that brings out the pranksters around the world. Personally, I’ve never been a fan, perhaps an underdeveloped sense of humour, but there’s no denying that there have been some awfully clever April Fools pranks played over the years.
Guinness Mean Time: On 31 March 1998 an article in the Financial Times detailed an agreement that had been struck between the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England and the Guinness brewery, wherein Guinness would be declared the official beer sponsor of the Observatory’s millennium celebration. Greenwich Mean Time would be renamed Guinness Mean Time, and instead of counting seconds in “pips,” as was traditional, the Observatory would count them in “pint drips.” This news led to a slightly bruised ego and a curt retraction on behalf of the Financial Times when they were made aware that it was meant for April Fools.
Planetary Alignment Decreases Gravity: In 1976, British astronomer, Patrick Moore, told radio listeners that at 9.47 a.m. the earth was going to experience a feeling of less gravity. He said that Jupiter and Pluto would cross and if listeners jumped in the air at exactly 9.47 a.m. they would feel the sensation of having no gravity. Hundreds of listeners phoned the radio to say they had jumped and floated in the air.
Swiss Mountain Cleaners: The Swiss Tourism Board released a video on the 1st of April 2009 that revealed the secret of why their mountains look so clean. It was due to the hard work of the Association of Swiss Mountain Cleaners, whose members daily scaled the Alps, scrubbing the rocks of unsightly bird droppings. The cleaning not only maintained the beauty of the Alps, but also prevented the droppings from eating away at the rocks, causing cavities that might eventually lead to the complete erosion and disappearance of the mountains. Millions of people watched the video, and 30,000 took the online test to determine whether they had what it took to become a mountain cleaner (aka “Felsenputzer”). Later that year, due to popular demand, the Brunni cable car company began offering an actual mountain cleaning course that attracted would-be Felsenputzers from around the world.
Today, with all of the technology we have at hand, it’s probably unlikely that such hoaxes wouldn’t be dismissed almost immediately, but then again, perhaps it’s actually easier to fool people precisely because of the technology we have?
Rest assured, here at AquAid, although we have a fine sense of humour, it’s unlikely that we’ll be playing any April Fools on anyone this year; although that said, did I mention that we’ve been selected to supply water coolers and water to the first crewed Mars mission in 2031?
by Fern Shaw | Dec 7, 2018 | Africa Trust, aquaid tyne wear
This well-established AquAid branch opened its doors in 2002 and is now in its 16th year of operations.
AquAid Tyne & Wear is a family run company: recently, Ryan Dobson, son to owners Gordon (pictured above) & Emir Dobson, has joined the team and by all accounts is doing really well.
The Dobson’s family values dovetail well with those of AquAid itself. These values include the consistent support through 
donations to sustainable charities, a practise integral to AquAid’s operations since the company’s inception in 1998.
Recently the branch received a certificate of contribution which is in recognition of a total donation figure in the amount of £351,000 – a significant achievement by all accounts.
But AquAid Tyne & Wear aren’t just about helping those in need on far flung continents gain access to a better life. Along with their support and donations to Christian Aid & the Africa Trust, they also want to contribute locally.
As we know, December is a busy time for everyone, after a hard year, people are all about enjoying themselves and celebrating, as they should. That said, AquAid Tyne & Wear are also aware that this time of year also finds many people locally who are less fortunate and struggling quite a bit.
Ashley Harris, Media and Sales Manager at AquAid Tyne & Wear, takes up the story, “Its with this in mind that we, collectively within the company, are donating toys to children in our area who will not get these from their family at Christmas, this is via the local Salvation Army. In addition we are also helping homeless people in the North East via the local HOPE Charity with our donations of warm clothes, food, cushions, sleeping bags and anything that we think will make a difficult life easier during this cold period.
We have taken this a step further, throughout 2019 we will be putting together a monthly HOPE box for the local HOPE Charity which will include food, blankets and clothing and in the summer we will include sun cream, to mention but a few items!
Everyone in the company is more than happy to get involved as sometimes you just do not know how lucky you are!
We are hoping once our customers are aware of what we are doing they might want to join us in the HOPE box.”
To find out more about how your custom translates into ongoing charity support or how to go about donating to either HOPE or the Salvation Army in the North East, contact one of the friendly team at AquAid Tyne & Wear – they’ll be pleased to assist.
