by Fern Shaw | Jul 6, 2022 | aquaid tyne wear, Charity, Christian Aid, water cooler, Water Coolers
By Fern Shaw
AquAid Tyne & Wear, operating since 2002, this year celebrates twenty years in the provision of an extensive range of innovative and high-quality water coolers and dispensers, along with a total commitment to offering superior services to their 2,000 customers.
Reaching this 20-year anniversary holds more than one reason for celebration though – it also marks an incredible achievement with the branch donating just under £500,000 to the charities AquAid have supported since our inception in 1998.
In view of this remarkable achievement, we spoke to Gordon and Emir Dobson, who own and operate AquAid Tyne & Wear and asked for their comment.
“We are absolutely delighted that our donations have reached this level: these small contributions we know have made a big difference to those who need it.
Here’s to the next £500,000!” ~ Emir Dobson, Owner Director – AquAid Tyne & Wear
Extracts below are from a letter to Emir and Gordon written by Ian Thorpe, CEO of The Africa Trust, in recognition of this milestone.
“Many congratulations as you approach your twentieth anniversary for the Tyne and Wear franchise of AquAid. I was astonished to learn that your franchise alone has raised such an extraordinary amount of money for charity during the last two decades. With a current donation figure of £487,915 I have no doubt that during your anniversary year, you will achieve the tremendous milestone of over half a million pounds raised.
Thank you for the part you and your colleagues at AquAid Tyne &Wear are playing in lifting people out of poverty to live healthier and more productive lives.
You have also raised over £240k for Christian Aid, and during the last three years alone, 3,321 people in Malawi have received entrepreneurial training (at a cost of £12 each) and assistance to start small businesses.“ ~ Ian Thorpe, Chief Executive – The Africa Trust
Should you too like to play a part in this phenomenal, philanthropic movement simply by keeping yourself and your company, organisation or school hydrated, contact AquAid today.
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.
by Fern Shaw | Jul 22, 2015 | aquaid tyne wear, Charity, Christian Aid, Water Coolers
The Swimming Scuba Diver
One of the aspects of working in the marketing and social media sphere that I really enjoy is getting to ‘know’ some of the many people that work at AquAid. To date, I’ve ‘met’ a serious traveller – Josh; a carer of animals and Tough Man competitor – Scott; a stand-up comedian – Martin; a Super Dad – Ross; and a Ninja – Dennis.
Last week, I spoke to Emir Dobson, franchisee at AquAid Middlesborough and asked her if she would be kind enough to put pen to paper and despite being rather busy, she graciously took the time out to answer my questions.
I was so tickled with her replies as I again realised that the individuals that work at AquAid really are quite a mixed bag and full of surprises – who knew that AquAid Middlesborough boast their very own scuba diver? So, without further ado, here’s what Emir had to share, pretty much verbatim:
Name: Emir Dobson
Role at AquAid: Manager – AquAid Tyne & Wear
Years at AquAid: Too long.
What do you enjoy about your job? The people we meet!
Tell us something interesting about yourself: Achievements: Working alongside my husband in all these years without a major incident!!!
How did you get involved with AquAid? I became involved in AquAid due to my connection with Christian Aid – I am passionate about the work that they do – my contribution is through donations.
Hobbies: Keeping with the water theme – I enjoy swimming and scuba diving.
What is it about swimming and scuba diving that you enjoy so much? I enjoy water… swimming and scuba diving keep you fit, they’re good for you…
When do you do the above? Enjoy diving as often as I can.
Why do you do it? It’s good fun and the people are great criag.
I enjoy diving anywhere there is water. In the North Sea, the wrecks are good and the sea fish.
In warmer climates – every dive is different; you see different fish, coral, wrecks – its good fun.
How long have you been involved with this? About 10 years.
Claim to fame – Just being alive!
What are you hoping to achieve or to do in the future? As soon as the family have moved out of the family home – my husband and I are going to travel – Thailand; Africa; USA.
Notes: No matter what happens – we are all the same – we eat, sleep, and breathe … the same. x
Thank you Emir, so interesting how water plays such a huge part in your life, from both a business and personal perspective. I wish you many good dives and lots of criag!
