by Fern Shaw | Sep 9, 2026 | water cooler, Water Coolers
What do a water cooler, a tractor and a wheatsheaf have in common? More than you might think.
We all know that staying hydrated during the working day is important, whether you’re refilling a glass at the water cooler between meetings or simply keeping a bottle of water to drink on your desk. But while we’re taking a sip, it’s worth thinking about where another everyday essential comes from: our food.
That’s where Back British Farming Day comes in.
From field to fork
It’s an opportunity to recognise the farmers and growers who produce the food we rely on every day and the enormous amount of work that goes into getting it from the field to our plates.
British farming is about much more than growing crops and raising livestock. Farmers also play a major role in looking after the countryside, with agriculture managing around 71% of the UK’s land.
And there’s plenty of variety in what’s produced here. In fact, the UK is home to more than 700 different types of cheese. So that humble cheese sandwich at lunchtime suddenly has a rather impressive story behind it.
Spot the red tractor
You may have seen the Red Tractor logo on food packaging. It’s one of the familiar signs consumers can look for when buying British produce, providing assurance that food meets recognised standards for safety, traceability and production.
Then there’s the wheatsheaf pin badge, traditionally worn during Back British Farming Day to show support for British agriculture.
Both have become familiar symbols of a much bigger story: the people, land and hard work behind the food we eat.
And if you need another reason to appreciate the humble wheat field, consider this: an area of wheat roughly the size of a football pitch can produce enough grain for around 11,500 loaves of bread.
Not bad for a field!
A little closer to home
Back British Farming Day is a useful reminder that the food on our supermarket shelves doesn’t simply appear there. Behind it are farmers, growers and rural communities working throughout the year, whatever the weather.
So next time you fill your glass, grab a sandwich or sit down for lunch, spare a thought for the journey that food has taken to get there.
From field to the fork, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than we might realise.
Sources
National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
Red Tractor
by Fern Shaw | Sep 8, 2026 | water cooler, Water Coolers, water dispenser
We’ve all done it. There’s a job that needs doing, but suddenly the washing needs sorting, the kitchen needs cleaning or that email you’ve been avoiding for three days becomes really important.
Welcome to procrastination – putting off something you don’t particularly want to do and promising yourself you’ll get round to it later.
It’s hardly a new habit. The ancient philosophers apparently had plenty to say about procrastination and the word itself appeared in the Oxford dictionary way back in 1548. So, in fairness, we’ve had an extraordinarily long time to get better at it. We just haven’t quite got round to it yet.
How do we stop putting things off?
One useful trick is to make the task feel less daunting. If you’re looking at a mountain of jobs, break it down into smaller steps and tackle them one at a time. Knowing where to start can be half the battle.
And before you reach for another coffee, there’s something else worth considering: water.
Staying hydrated is important for normal brain function and research has found that dehydration can affect aspects of cognitive performance. In one study, drinking water after dehydration improved performance on judgement and decision-making tasks. (PubMed)
Could your water cooler be an unlikely ally in the fight against procrastination?
Possibly. Keeping water to hand and drinking regularly can help you stay hydrated, which may help you think more clearly and avoid that foggy-headed feeling. And when your brain is feeling sharper, tackling that awkward email, making a decision or finally starting that job you’ve been putting off might seem a little easier.
Of course, no amount of water is going to make tidying the garage exciting. But it might help you decide that now is the time to get started.
So, whether it’s on Fight Procrastination Day itself or before or after, fill your glass at the water dispenser, pick one thing you’ve been putting off and get it done.
You can always procrastinate tomorrow.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 24, 2026 | water cooler, Water Coolers, water dispenser
It sounds counterintuitive. You’re hot, the sun is beating down and someone hands you a piping hot cup of tea. Surely the last thing you need is more heat?
Well … perhaps not.
There’s some science behind the idea that a hot drink can help cool you down. When you drink something hot, your body can respond by increasing the amount you sweat. And when that sweat evaporates from your skin, it takes heat with it, helping to cool you down.
But there’s a rather important catch. Sweat needs somewhere to go.
For this cooling effect to work, your sweat needs to evaporate. In hot, dry conditions, that can happen efficiently, potentially making a hot drink surprisingly effective at helping your body lose heat.
In hot and humid conditions, however, evaporation becomes much harder. If sweat is simply sitting on your skin or dripping away, drinking something hot isn’t going to provide the same cooling benefit – and the heat from the drink is still being added to your body.
So, what about an ice-cold glass of water?
Research suggests that cold drinks can reduce the rise in core body temperature during activity in hot conditions and can make you feel cooler too. (PubMed)
And what about room-temperature water?
There’s no magic temperature you have to drink your water at. Ambient-temperature drinks can be perfectly effective for hydration and have been shown to be consumed at similar rates to chilled water by people working in hot conditions. (PubMed)
In other words, the best drink may simply be the one you enjoy drinking and will reach for regularly.
So, hot tea on a hot day? It’s not quite as crazy as it sounds. Chilled water? Absolutely fine too. Room-temperature water? Nothing wrong with that either.
And with AquAid’s high-quality hot & cold water dispensers, there’s no need to choose just one. Whether you fancy piping hot water for a cuppa or chilled water to refresh you, the choice is yours.
Now that’s what we call an all-weather water dispenser.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 19, 2026 | instant tap, water boiler, water cooler, Water Coolers
Let’s fact check here for a moment. This is a blog page. The running (aha) theme is about all things water.
There are heaps of information about the supply of water and how we deliver said water to you, dear, valued customer, through the provision of our spankingly smart range of:
Bottled Water Coolers
Mains Fed Water Coolers
Water Boilers
Hotel and Catering Solutions
Water for Schools
Water Fountains
Instant Taps
It also helps to keep ourselves informed about the importance of drinking water, how to avoid becoming dehydrated (which occurs more often and easily than one might think), what to drink and how often to drink it. In general, it’s all about keeping yourself healthily hydrated.
But the one question we may not have yet asked is: What makes you thirsty?
Is it the popcorn?
You may belong to the heavily salted popcorn clan. When you go to the pictures, it’s not officially an occasion unless you have a bucket of very over-salted popcorn. Then your tongue swells up and you feel like you’ve been eating dry desert sand. At which point, you may wonder why on earth you’re so thirsty.
Hmm. Mystery solved.
Is it the fizzy stuff?
Perhaps you’re more of a spend all day in warm weather, keep active, run from place to place, perspire like mad and wait until the last possible moment before having a drink sort of person.
By the time you’re absolutely parched, you reach for a fizzy drink and guzzle it down. Unfortunately, a sugary drink isn’t necessarily the answer to your thirst and you may soon find yourself reaching for another one.
Is it the takeaway?
Or maybe fast food is the culprit. Chips, kebabs, sausage rolls (to name a few) leading to the inevitable:
“Why am I so thirsty?”
It turns out that might not be quite the mystery you thought it was.
So, what’s your thirst tipping point?
Whatever yours is, it’s worth remembering that some of our thirst can be self-imposed.
Us humanoids. We can be rather silly beings, can’t we?
Perhaps the answer is simply to drink water regularly throughout the day rather than waiting until your mouth feels like the Sahara. Your mind, body and soul will thank you for it.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 17, 2026 | water cooler, Water Coolers, water dispenser
Unfortunately, drinking and replenishing our water usually isn’t a priority – from the moment we arrive in the office and even less likely throughout the working day, often until well after leaving work.
There are a few reasons for this:
Our focus is on work. Organising. Deadlines. Problem solving. Schedules. Meetings.
Our jobs require 100% attention. Whether the job spec requires precision work, attention to detail or constant interaction with customers, colleagues or other divisions.
There isn’t enough time in the day. Despite even the best organisational skills, this is a common complaint for those in the workplace.
In a study conducted by the Natural Source Waters Association of 300 UK General Practitioners, it was found that “one in five GP consultations were down to tiredness and fatigue and one in ten of those were thought to be linked to dehydration.”
It’s no surprise then that possibly the last thought that occurs is providing our body and mind with the very fuel which helps us function effectively while at work and throughout the working day.
However, there is a rather simple solution available:
Install AquAid water dispensers at work.
A water glass on the desk or bottled water to hand makes it easier to keep drinking throughout the day, particularly for those who are always on the move.
Getting into a routine of taking short breaks throughout the day can also help: take a breather, stretch your legs and circuit past your water cooler station to replenish your water.
by Fern Shaw | Aug 11, 2026 | water cooler, Water Coolers
When someone mentions an elephant, what’s the first thing that springs to mind?
Perhaps it’s their extraordinary size, their ears, their trunks or their extraordinary intelligence. Whatever the answer, one thing is certain – elephants have fascinated us for centuries.
This World Elephant Day, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate these magnificent animals and the vital role they play in the natural world.
If there’s one thing elephants don’t do by halves, it’s drinking water. An adult elephant can consume between 95 and 190 litres every day and its trunk can hold around 10 litres at a time. Water isn’t simply something they enjoy – it’s essential to their survival and to the habitats they help sustain.
That makes them surprisingly fitting companions to what we do every day. While AquAid specialises in supplying fresh drinking water through workplace water coolers and water dispensers, our charitable giving helps support something rather different.
For many years, donations made to The Africa Trust have helped fund the installation of more than 10,000 Elephant Pumps across Africa.
No, they’re not quite as majestic as the animals that inspired their name and unfortunately, we can’t install either elephants or Elephant Pumps in your office! But the pumps do share a few impressive qualities with their namesakes – one in particular being longevity. Built to last for decades, these robust hand pumps provide reliable access to clean, safe drinking water for thousands of communities, helping transform everyday life one water well at a time.
Just as elephants are known as keystone species because they help shape and support the ecosystems around them, access to clean water helps communities flourish. Children spend less time collecting water, families enjoy healthier lives and opportunities begin to grow.
Sadly, elephants themselves face an uncertain future. African savannah elephants are endangered; African forest elephants are critically endangered and fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. Protecting these remarkable animals also means protecting the habitats and water sources they depend upon.
So, whether you’re refilling your bottle at the office water cooler or simply pausing for a refreshing drink during the working day, spare a thought for one of nature’s true giants. We may never match an elephant’s thirst but we can all appreciate the importance of a reliable source of fresh drinking water.
Sources
World Elephant Day – Elephant Facts
The Africa Trust
