by Fern Shaw | Mar 22, 2015 | Health and Hydration, Water
In a previous blog, I spoke about the rather disturbing trend where almost every single day of the year has been tagged as a Day of Something or Other. One seems hard pressed to wheedle out a day that has actual significance or some real meaning or; that is of importance and is worth commemorating.
A day that is worth marking though is World Water Day, which this year, will be held on the 22nd of March 2015. In case you’re wondering why – as you may have all the water that you need and believe that’s all there is to it – here are just a few reasons – from a personal perspective:
- Water is essentially life giving.
- There is no spectrum of our lives that is possible without water – this starts with the fact that our physical make-up is around 70% water.
- Water is a scarce resource and as about only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh water, it is a resource that needs to be protected and used wisely.
- Short of developments in nuclear fusion, we cannot ‘make’ water, so we need to ensure that the water that we do have is used in a sustainable manner going forward.
The theme for the 2015 World Water Day is Water and Sustainable Development. Some pertinent facts according to the World Water Day website:
- Water is health – Clean hands can save your life.
- Water is nature – Ecosystems lie at the heart of the global water cycle.
- Water is energy – Water and energy are inseparable friends.
- Water is food – To produce two steaks you need 15 000 litres of water.
- Water is equality – Every day women spend 200 million hours carrying water.
- Water is urbanization – Every week, one million people move into cities.
- Water is industry – More water is used to manufacture a car than to fill a swimming pool.
Taking all of these factors into consideration, I think it’s safe to say that the world’s water is of concern for us all and that creating and maintaining a sustainable supply is imperative.
Here at AquAid, a very important part of our ethos is assisting in the creation of a sustainable water supply globally, for those less fortunate, in order for these communities to empower themselves and their future generations.
You can follow this link to see what events are being held where this World Water Day 2015.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 10, 2015 | aquaid surrey, Charity
Regional Manager – AquAid Surrey
To date, meeting some of the AquAid team has taken us all over the U.K., as far as San Francisco in the USA, and even Tanzania, Africa with Ian Thorpe of The Africa Trust for Christmas with the Maasai.
Today we learn a bit more about Ross Dowsett, Regional Manager at AquAid Surrey.
Ross has been with AquAid Surrey since January 2004. His position keeps him on his toes working a 10 hour day. When he’s not at work, much of his time is spent being a Dad, ferrying his children to various after school activities.
His 10 year old daughter does judo and plays various instruments on the school team and his 6 year old boy participates in football and swimming. Seems like busy runs in the family!
When he can find the time, Ross realises his grand passion for cooking. He watches practically every cooking programme on TV and often tries out and recreates the dishes, with, as he says, ‘varied results’.
From what Ross told us, his results now are a far cry from the days when he started on this taste adventure. Apparently, his first attempt at making his favourite dish from scratch – a Chicken & Apricot Curry from a Rick Stein recipe – didn’t go quite as planned.
He confused tablespoon (Tbs.) with teaspoon (tsp.) measurements, and ended up having to glug a tub of natural yoghurt to stop the burn. Thankfully, the days of confusing measurements are long past and diners chez Ross are in for a treat.
He’s also been told that his Spaghetti Bolognaise is the best around, perfected from his mum’s recipe. I have to agree – there’s nothing quite like a good Bolognaise – tops on the comfort food list.
Another activity that keeps Ross on his toes is, as he says, ‘trying to keep fit by taking long walks as often as is possible’ as each year he tries to ensure that he enters a 13+ mile walk for charity. It’s this inspiration that gets him to go out on cold winter nights in all weathers to get a bit of training in.
On the 22nd of this month, Ross is doing the Marsden March. It is a 14 mile walk from the Royal Marsden Hospital Fulham to The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton. The Marsden Hospital specialises in the treatment of cancer.
This means a lot to Ross as he lost his mother to cancer 12 years ago and other people in his family are now battling the illness.
If any of you would like to sponsor Ross you can do so at Just Giving. All sponsorships, irrespective of the amount, will be for a most worthwhile cause!
So, there you have another of the ‘Meet the AquAid Team:’ – Ross Dowsett – super pretty much everything! Thanks for a slice of your valuable time, Ross!
by Fern Shaw | Feb 4, 2014 | Health and Hydration, Water
During these winter months, our thoughts turn to keeping warm and a rather pleasant way to do this is by drinking a cuppa.
Today I’m concentrating on coffee.
Here’s some random info to keep your brain warm too.
Coffee shop culture has been ‘trending’ for decades now, in some instances ‘doing coffee’ is even more popular than meeting at the pub. People’s lifestyles and attitudes to their choice of beverages and where they spend their time to socialise have significantly changed – this could also be a factor of most societies becoming multi-cultural and a cup of java is the preferred drink instead of drinking alcohol.
A few little known coffee facts
Coffee is a term applied to the drink, the beans and the genus Coffea which is part of the Madder family.
There are over thirty species of genus, but we only use three of them.
- C. arabica
- C. canephora and
- C. liberica.
The coffee plants bloom fragrant white flowers but only for a few days.
It takes about five years to grow before a coffee tree can produce a full harvest.
AquAid not only supply a wide range of water coolers for the workplace and schools, but also a range of water boilers and hot drinks – Kenco Coffee being one:
There’s a wide range of authentic Kenco coffee flavours to choose from including:
- dark, medium or light roast
- Columbian, Kenyan or Carte Noir blends
- rich espresso
- creamy cappuccino
- de-caf coffees.
Happy keeping warm day to you
by Fern Shaw | Dec 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
For such a teensy island I must say Britain certainly packs in a plethora of trivia from all around.
- The Slimbridge Wildlife & Wetlands Trust is the world’s largest and most diversified wildfowl centre. It has the largest collection of swans, geese, and ducks on Earth, and is the only place where all six species of Flamingo can still be observed. (We don’t source any of our water from here – promise.)
- Mother Shipton’s Cave near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, is England’s oldest recorded tourist attraction. Its owner, Charles Slingsby, fenced off the site in 1630 and started charging visitors to gape at this so-called petrifying well. The mineral-rich water from this uncanny spring has the ability to give objects a stone-like appearance after a prolonged exposure. (Nor from here.)
- An official report of the European Union surveying universities in all member states ranked the University of London as the top performer in terms of publications and in terms of citations, and the University of Cambridge as top performers in terms of impact.
- French was the official language of England for about 300 years, from 1066 until 1362. Mais oui!
- The world’s largest second-hand book market can be found at Hay-on-Wye, a small village at the border of England and Wales. The village is also famous for proclaiming itself independent from the UK in 1977.
- Fish ‘n chips are apparently not much more a traditional English dish than is Chicken Tikka Masala. The first combined fish ‘n’ chip shop was actually opened by a Jewish immigrant, Joseph Malin, within the sound of Bow Bells in East London around 1860.
Now you know. What is home grown (so to speak) and all things British, is our water. Whether it’s from the Scottish highlands, the Warwickshire countryside or from a natural spring deep in the Irish Hill, AquAid’s water is packed full of minerals and nutrients to keep you topped up and super hydrated. Drink up. Enjoy.
by Fern Shaw | Nov 25, 2013 | Charity, water cooler, Water Coolers
The Bupa Great Birmingham Run is the biggest half marathon in the Midlands.
‘Formerly known as the Birmingham Half Marathon the event was first staged in staged in 2008 and in 2009 also incorporated the World Half Marathon Championships.
England’s second city is the perfect stage for the event which attracts competitors from across the UK and around the world.
In 2012 Kenyan Micah Kogo won a thrilling sprint for the line ahead of Abera Kuma to set a new course record. Kogo, who dominated the race almost from the start, breasted the tape in a time of one hour and 17 seconds to deny his Ethiopian rival victory by two seconds with World record holder and pre-race favourite Zersenay Tadese third in 1:01:06.
On a very misty morning, Kogo – after losing the previous month’s Bupa Great North Run by a second – made amends by smashing the course record of 1:01:29 set a year ago by the legendary Ethiopian, Haile Gebrselassie.
The women’s race saw Sara Moreira taking total control in the last three miles to notch a runaway victory ahead of Ethiopia’s former World Half Marathon champion Berhane Adere.
The course takes in some of the city’s most iconic sights including the Bullring, the Cadbury’s factory in Bournville and Edgbaston cricket ground. Live music from ‘bands on the run’ keep you motivated every step of the way and thousands of supporters turn out to cheer finishers across the line on Broad Street in the heart of the city centre. ‘
Our Scott Barnbrook, of AquAid Birmingham, is quite the individual when it comes to participating in events for charity and/or improving his health. A recap here.
Good on yer, Scott, for competing in and finishing this rather marvellous and historical marathon!
Remember though, whether you’re running or exerting yourself in any kind of strenuous activity, you need to keep hydrated. This means drinking water. If you’re just zooming around your cubicle at 36 revolutions p/m, that also counts.
For any water cooler requirements, contact Scott at AquAid Birmingham, he or his team will be happy to help.