by Fern Shaw | Feb 27, 2025 | aquaid, water cooler, Water Coolers, water dispenser
We’re here to help. Yes, of course, we’re in the business of providing you with cool, chilled and hot drinking water at your premises, whether that’s at your office; warehouse; site; practice; university; college or school, however, we’re also concerned with ensuring that you drink enough water to keep yourself well hydrated throughout the day, which is why we’ve written this ‘Best Practices Guide’ for you:
Step One
Educate: Having everybody in the workspace on board is the most crucial component in a hydration plan. Educate yourself about the negative effects and downsides resulting from drinking too many fizzy drinks and caffeinated drinks instead of water. Use visual reminders – e.g. put up a poster illustrating good hydration techniques; these are a great way to continually reinforce to you the importance of drinking water.
The benefits of drinking sufficient water are manifold.
Step Two
Assessment: The best way to assess your hydration status given the variables of body mass, work routines and other personal and physical aspects is to monitor urine colour. When you are drinking enough water, your body is in balance and your urine will be a pale straw yellow colour (Hydrated). When you haven’t drunk enough water your kidneys try to save as much water as they can and cause you urine to be darker in colour (Dehydrated). Chat with your local AquAid branch about our dehydration charts, which clearly illustrate the difference between being hydrated to mildly and severely hydrated.
Step Three
Implementation: The most critical part of the best practises guide is to ensure that drinking water is readily accessible and is appealing to drink. Keeping a refillable water bottle or glass on your desk or in your workspace is a helpful reminder to keep drinking water while you’re at work. If you’re in a smaller work space, perhaps you and your colleagues can request that the water cooler be placed in an area that you can either see from your desk or that you are sure to walk past more than once a day.
Conclusion: Encouraging hydration during the workday can have a significant impact on your own overall performance and well-being. This requires a commitment from you, so keep up to date on the positive effects of staying hydrated.
Contact us at AquAid today – we’d be delighted to assist you, advising which water cooler dispenser is best suited for you based on your requirements.
by Fern Shaw | Feb 10, 2025 | aquaid, Charity, Christian Aid, water cooler, Water Coolers
World Pulses Day
Since its inception in 2019, the 10th of February every year commemorates World Pulses Day. A few facts about pulses:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN recognizes eleven different types of pulses: dry beans, dry broad beans, dry peas, chickpeas, cow peas, pigeon peas, lentils, Bambara beans, vetches, lupins and pulses nes (other minor types of pulses that don’t fit within the other categories).
Pulses are highly sustainable and climate-resilient crops. They require relatively low amounts of water compared to other protein sources and can grow on marginal land. They also help increase soil fertility by fixing nitrogen, making them a crucial element in crop rotation practices.*
World Pulses Day History
World Pulses Day serves as a global celebration of the nutritional and environmental benefits that pulses offer. Recognising the vital role these protein-rich legumes play in promoting sustainable agriculture and addressing important issues such as food security, nutrition and climate change, World Pulses Day has seen an outpouring of support from governments, farmers, researchers and consumers alike, working collaboratively to ensure pulses become a staple part of diets on a global scale.
World Pulses Day provides an opportunity for the international community to celebrate the importance of pulses in ensuring a sustainable and healthy future.*
Christian Aid
From Christian Aid “For thousands of farming families in Malawi, pigeon peas are a route out of poverty. The mighty pigeon pea is drought resistant, so thrives in the dry fields of southern Malawi. It’s an essential part of the diet of millions of people around the world.
Together with our partners, we empower vulnerable communities to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty, including giving them the skills to:
- Form cooperatives to improve their access to markets and secure a fairer price for their crops.
- Set up savings and loans to start their own businesses
- Boost the quality of their seeds and restore soil fertility
- Build warehouses to keep their crops safe from floods and cyclones, compete against large-scale producers and gain new markets
- Promote pigeon pea recipes to increase consumption in Malawi and prevent hunger.”
AquAid
Thanks to the support of AquAid customers, together we have funded projects in Malawi that have helped over 3,300 pigeon pea farming households by reducing income poverty.
By choosing AquAid as your water cooler provider, you are helping people living in poverty globally to access clean water and build healthy lives. AquAid has supported Christian Aid for more than 15 years, donating over £4 million to water and capacity building projects around the world.
*source: WinCalendar – World Pulses Day
by Fern Shaw | Jan 28, 2025 | aquaid, water cooler, Water Coolers
It was the International Day of Education recently. The day is aimed at advocating for quality education and equal access to education for all.
Numerous activities promoting the significance of and highlighting how important education is, were held across the UK.
What may be surprising is that something as simple as drinking water can significantly impact a child’s education as staying hydrated is crucial for cognitive function, focus, and overall well-being, all of which play a vital role in a child’s ability to learn.
How does hydration affect learning?
Improved concentration and focus. When children are dehydrated, their brains don’t function at their best. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches and difficulty concentrating, making it harder for them to pay attention in class and absorb information.
Enhanced memory and cognitive function. Studies have shown that proper hydration can improve memory, critical thinking skills and overall cognitive function. This means that well-hydrated children are better equipped to tackle challenging subjects and retain information.
Reduced illness and absenteeism. Dehydration can weaken the immune system, making children more susceptible to illness. By staying hydrated, children are less likely to get sick, reducing the number of school days missed and ensuring they don’t fall behind in their studies.
Improved mood and behaviour. Dehydration can affect mood, leading to irritability and fatigue. When children are well-hydrated, they are more likely to be happy, alert, and engaged in their learning.
What can parents and educators do to encourage children to drink water?
Make water readily available. Ensure that children have access to clean water throughout the day, both at home and at school.
Set a good example. Children are more likely to drink water if they see their peers, parents and teachers doing the same.
Encourage children to bring water bottles to school*. This allows them to stay hydrated throughout the day.
By making a conscious effort to ensure that children are well-hydrated is a simple method that can help create a more conducive learning environment and help them reach their full potential.
Installing AquAid water coolers and water fountains in places of education provides students and staff alike direct access to a constant source of drinking water. All which help create and instil better hydration habits.
AquAid also offer *free refillable drinking water bottles and free school posters to help keep water top of mind during the school day.
by Fern Shaw | Oct 24, 2023 | aquaid, water boiler, water cooler, Water Coolers, water dispenser
There are a number of positives to installing an AquAid Hot & Cold Water Dispenser or Hot Water Boiler. The most common reasons are piping hot water constantly available for whatever hot drink you enjoy – tea, coffee, hot chocolate, hot lemon water – the list goes on.
Often though there seems to be a hot water drink (meal?) that is oft forgot but just as vital to getting you through the working or school day, albeit in a heated hydration method.
Nothing equates to a soup made from scratch, but as we go about our daily business or busy school day, there often is only a minute or two available to dispense piping hot water for a nourishing mug of soup. And instant soups hit the spot perfectly.
Instant soup has been around for decades, with firm favourites remaining popular however, tastes have broadened where we now have soup from further afield gaining popularity. Although there may be plenty people for whom a spoonful of Bovril or Marmite in hot water will suffice, there are other consommés that are just as nourishing and healthy. Think miso soup for example!
Whatever your favourite hot water brew, AquAid has a boiling hot water drink dispenser to meet your requirements.
If you’d like know more about AquAid hot & cold dispenser and water boiler products as well as our life-saving charity partnerships, please * e-mail or ☏ us on 0800 772 3003. It will be our pleasure to assist you.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 12, 2023 | aquaid, Christian Aid, water cooler, Water Coolers
As of April this year, AquAid has donated over £20 million to charity. This staggering amount is a culmination of charitable donations which began in 1998. This includes over £2.8 million donated to Pump Aid, which enabled half a million people to gain access to sustainable supplies of clean productive water and decent sanitation in Africa. This work was continued by The Africa Trust, which was founded by the Chief Executive of Pump Aid, together with Paul Searle, who was the founder and majority shareholder of AquAid.
To date, more than three million people use Elephant Pumps [pictured above middle] installed by The Africa Trust, largely as a result of over £10.2 million donated by AquAid. In addition, these funds have paid for entrepreneurial training [pictured above left] and loans, which have helped over 40,000 people to set up small businesses and support their families. With legacy projects in Liberia, Kenya and Uganda and ongoing major programmes in Zimbabwe and Malawi, The Africa Trust is using funding from AquAid to provide sustainable solutions to poverty for millions.
Ian Thorpe, Chief Executive of The Africa Trust said, “AquAid has achieved growth while incorporating an extraordinary level of charitable donations into their business model. Customers drinking pure chilled water from AquAid water coolers in the UK directly enable people to gain access to life saving clean water in Africa. The ongoing funding is helping to lift literally millions of people out of extreme poverty in a sustainable way. Many congratulations on reaching this £20 million milestone!”
AquAid donations of over £3.8 million to Christian Aid have funded water and capacity building projects in Ethiopia and Malawi, improving the lives of 370,000 individuals. The Malonda Project stands out for its provision of affordable loans and business training to entrepreneurs and pigeon pea farmers [pictured above right] in Malawi. The results are impressive: a perfect 100% loan repayment rate and household incomes increased. Inspired by the success of the Malonda Project, AquAid, The Africa Trust and Christian Aid decided to launch the £1,000,000 Rural Entrepreneurship Assistance Project (REAP). It aims to lift 5,250 households in Malawi out of extreme poverty by 2025.
Director of Fundraising, Nick Georgiadis said, “Christian Aid believes that poverty eradication requires innovative partnerships including with the private sector. Socially conscious business has a critical role to play in building a just and sustainable future for people and the planet. We are thrilled that AquAid embodies such a positive social purpose, we could not be happier to celebrate this important milestone with them. We extend profound gratitude to AquAid for their unwavering support”.
by Fern Shaw | May 24, 2023 | aquaid, water cooler, water cooler, Water Coolers
This month of Mental Health Awareness, we have looked at how drinking enough water can aid our ability to reduce anxiety and boost our mental wellbeing. In this blog, we focus our attention to the effects dehydration can have on the brain and possible solutions.
*Almost every bodily function relies on water. Because 75% of brain tissue is water, dehydration reduces energy production in the brain and can change brain structure, causing the brain to slow down and not function properly.
At the molecular level, if water levels are too low, our brain cells cannot function properly, with the brain showing signs of working harder to complete tasks.
Our cells recognise a state of dehydration as a threat to survival, leading to a state of anxiety. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger between brain cells) that stabilises our mood and regulates emotions. During dehydration, we struggle to get the chemicals required to produce serotonin into our brain.
Being just half a litre dehydrated may also increase the stress hormone cortisol, which has been associated with a range of mental disorders, including anxiety.
Drinking water, maintaining good hydration habits is proven one of the simplest methods to counteract low mood, anxiety and other stresses associated with insufficient water intake.
If you are concerned about the health and well-being of your staff at your establishment or organisation, speak to us at AquAid. From the smallest office space and staff contingent to multinational companies that employ hundreds of staff, AquAid have a drinking water solution tailor-made to suit your requirements.
source* Nikolaij Travica – article at The Conversation
