by Fern Shaw | Jun 19, 2017 | aquaid aberdeen, water cooler, Water Coolers
You may not be aware of this, but AquAid not only supply water coolers the length and breadth of England, but also throughout Scotland too.
There are three branches of AquAid in Scotland, these being: AquAid Edinburgh, based in Midlothian, AquAid Glasgow, based in Hamilton and AquAid Aberdeen, based in Stonehaven.
AquAid Aberdeen provides a wide range of water coolers and water related products and services to the North East of Scotland and have been in operation since 2000.
Aberdeen itself is clearly a fascinating city; having produced not one, but three Nobel Laureates (these being JJR Macleod (1923); John Boyd Orr (1949) and RLM Synge (1952)); boasts many ‘firsts’ and has an interesting history with a huge variety of fascinating and perhaps little known factoids that make any Aberdonian proud of their heritage:
*For example: “In 2012, HSBC named Aberdeen as a leading business hub and one of eight ‘super cities‘ spearheading the UK’s economy, marking it as the only city in Scotland to receive this accolade.”
Denis Law, Scotland’s joint top goal scorer, is an Aberdonian. During his footballing career Denis Law scored 30 international goals during 55 matches for Scotland. A record only equalled by Kenny Dalglish.
Aberdeen has the busiest civilian heliport in the world.
The Robert Gordon University launched the UK’s first degree course in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
Aberdeen has won the Britain in Bloom contest a record number of times.
From having the oldest maze in Scotland – Hazlehead Maze – planted in 1935; having one of the oldest newspapers in Britain -The Aberdeen Journal – first printed in 1748; through to building the fastest sailing ship ever, (the Thermopylae), and the first stern trawler being built in Aberdeen – the city has a wealth of culture and can-do spirit.
AquAid North East (as they are commonly known) in Aberdeen may not have the longevity of some of the aforementioned establishments, but they have been providing water coolers, dispensers and boilers to customers for the past sixteen years. Contact them now to assist with all your water cooler and water related product requirements.
*extracts from an article at the Aberdeen City Council
by Fern Shaw | Mar 29, 2017 | Water Coolers
Love it or hate it, the day will soon be upon us. 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 Fool’s pranks played over the years.
The French call the day Poisson d’Avril, or ‘April Fish’. French children will often tape a picture of a fish on to the back of their friends and wait for them to realise. This is also the case in Italy.
In Scotland, April Fools’ Day used to be called Huntigowk Day – ‘gowk’ being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person.
Traditionally people were sent on a foolish errand to deliver a sealed message reading ‘Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile’.
Some of the best April Fool’s played out over the years have included:
- Flying penguins
In 2008 the BBC caught viewers out by running a video clip of flying penguins, claiming the birds were flying to tropical rainforests in South American to escape the harsh Antarctic weather.
- UFO lands near London
On 31 March 1989, thousands of motorists driving on the highway outside London looked up in the air to see a glowing flying saucer descending on their city. The saucer finally landed in a field on the outskirts of London. When a door in the craft popped open, a small, silver-suited figure emerged. The saucer turned out to be a hot-air balloon that had been specially built to look like a UFO by Richard Branson, the then 36-year-old chairman of Virgin Records. His plan was to land the craft in London’s Hyde Park on April 1. Unfortunately, the wind blew him off course, and he was forced to land a day early in the wrong location.
- 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.
- The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
On 1 April 1, 1957, the respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. The broadcast remains, by far, the most popular and widely acclaimed April Fool’s Day hoax ever.
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 because of the technology we each have?
Rest assured, here at AquAid, although we have a fine sense of humour, it’s unlikely that we’ll be playing any April Fool’s on anyone this year; although, 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 | Mar 29, 2017 | water cooler, Water Coolers
Generally, everyone enjoys a good bit of trivia and none so more than me.
People have pretty fertile imaginations though, so the facts behind some trivia can easily be distorted and the internet being as it is, fact checking trivia snippets can be a little difficult.
To astound and amaze, here’s a bit of trivia to keep you amused this week – and to keep your brain active during your working day. Try them out on colleagues at the water cooler when you beetle off to replenish your water bottle (just no Larry [or Larissa] the Lounge Lizard actions while you’re there now, see?)
John Cleese’s father’s surname was Cheese. Cleese grew up 10 miles from Cheddar and his best friend at school was called Barney Butter.
The last private resident of No 10 Downing Street was called Mr Chicken. Nobody knows anything about him other than his name. He moved out in 1732, after which King George II presented both houses to Sir Robert Walpole.
All but one of the ravens at the Tower of London died from stress during the Blitz.
In 2009, a retired policeman called Geraint Woolford was admitted to Abergale Hospital in north Wales and ended up next to another retired policeman called Geraint Woolford. The men weren’t related, had never met and were the only two people in the UK called Geraint Woolford. Imagine that conversation around the ward’s water cooler!
A blue whale can hold up to 5,000kgs of water in its mouth. (No, we’re not able to provide blue whale water coolers even if you are a large organisation).
In the UK, accents change noticeably about every 25 miles.
British Pennies, pre-1971, are used in the pendulum to adjust the time in London’s Big Ben clock tower.
The names of the English rivers Avon, Axe, Esk, Exe and Ouse all mean ‘river’ or ‘water’ in various ancient languages.
Now you know. In fairness, a blue whale isn’t really British, however according to the ‘Fishes Royal’ which states that all sturgeon, whales, porpoises and dolphins in the water around the UK belong to the Queen, apparently they are!
I’ve fact checked these as best I can – if you know differently – please feel free to correct me and provide your source.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 17, 2017 | Water Coolers
At Blue Whale Media, we’ve always believed in giving back to the community. We are always looking for ways to contribute to the community. So, when we wanted to install water coolers at our new premises, we purchased AquAid water coolers.
Keeping our staff members hydrated will keep them at their best all through the day. But how they operate is one of the prime reasons why we chose to invest in AquAid watercoolers.
So what’s special about them? Everything!
Building Elephant Pumps
With every purchase of their water coolers, AquAid automatically contributes a portion to the Africa Trust. These funds help in installing Elephant Pumps in the remotest parts of Africa to make fresh drinking water available.
When we were told that our purchase will lead to a pump being installed in Africa on our behalf, we were all charged up. To think that our purchase will help in making fresh, clean drinking water available to those who really need it. We felt it was a great way to give back to the community.
About Blue Whale Media
Blue Whale Media is a digital agency based in Warrington. We offer a bouquet of services including web design, app development and an array of online marketing services.
Today, online presence is important. Whether you want to generate leads and sales, connect with your customers or help them resolve a complaint or find an answer to a question they have, a well-designed website can do wonders for your business.
Our goal is to help businesses make a lasting impression on their visitors and customers alike. After all, your website can not only bring business, but can help in building relationships.
We aim to educate our customers so they can make an informed decision. Feel free to take a look at our blog, where we share our knowledge that may just help you with your online presence.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 17, 2017 | mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
We all intend to do the right thing when it comes to keeping fit, but often the demands of day-to-day life gets in the way. At AquAid Water Coolers we always want to help where we can to ensure that at the very least, you keep yourself well hydrated throughout your day, no matter your schedule.
If you’ve launched into a great keep fit regime with spring rearing its blooming head, here’s a bit of info that may help you on your get fit and keep hydrated journey:
Recognising dehydration
- A large percentage of the UK population are chronically dehydrated. When was the last time that you actually drank more than one glass of water in a day? Keep in mind that the average adult should be drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water per day.
- Dehydration occurs when more fluid leaves your body than is taken in. Symptoms include: fatigue, irritability, headaches and nausea.
- Dehydration also slows your metabolism, which hinders your ability to exercise as well as the ability to lose weight.
Deposits and withdrawals
To avoid reaching the stage where you’re dehydrated, think of it in terms of deposits and withdrawals. It all comes down to how much water leaves your body. The logic is straight-forward, you have to maintain a water balance: How much water you excrete depends on many factors: age, gender, health, body mass, environmental conditions and physical activity all play a role. Right, now you have that sorted, put these ideas into action:
Get moving
Even if you feel sluggish and low in energy, make the effort to do 20-30 minutes exercise daily. If you’re not that keen to participate in organised activities, a brisk walk around the block will be enough to energise you and reduce fatigue.
Sleep well
Make sure you get enough sleep. Depending on your daily schedule and work hours, try to go to bed at the same time, do not eat or drink caffeine before going to bed and move the telly out of the bedroom.
Eat well
There are innumerable eating and weight loss plans and these can often hinder rather than help.
Whatever food plan you decide upon, again logic dictates: in order to function, your body needs fuel, so try to ensure that your food fuel consists of a balanced diet.
If you’re prone to the ‘quick fix’ when eating, which usually consist of processed and sugar rich food and drinks, the good news is if you step up and start drinking enough water to keep yourself hydrated, you will feel fuller and the temptation to sate your appetite as quickly as possible, will lessen.
Make use of your water cooler!
As you begin your happy and healthy get fit plan, having a bottle fed or mains fed water cooler wherever you are at work could honestly not make drinking water easier for you. There’s also the added advantage of you being able to get through your work day much more easily as studies have proven that taking even a five minute break to stretch out and walk to replenish your water makes a significant difference on your performance and well-being.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 9, 2017 | mains fed water cooler, Water Coolers
*Various campaigns and studies to do with schools and drinking water conducted over the last decade or so have produced a mixed bag of results.
What is clear though: a hydrated child is a much happier child. This fact, combined with you as the parents leading by example and the schools ensuring that drinking water is readily available, makes for a more holistic approach to hydration.
It boosts learning
- The key to boosting the capacity to learn is to keep well hydrated throughout the day.
- When we are thirsty, mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by around 10%. Pupils concentrate better because they are not distracted by the effects of dehydration such as thirst, tiredness and irritability.
- Children will achieve more when both their health and learning needs are met. Ensuring free access to water and promoting a regular water intake throughout the school day is a vital role for schools in promoting health and providing a healthy learning environment.
It’s healthy!
- Drinking adequate amounts of water regularly throughout the day can protect health and contribute to well-being.
- Drinking sufficient water can help prevent a range of short and long-term health problems that stem from dehydration such as lethargy; dizziness; constipation; headaches and bladder, kidney and bowel problems.
- Water has none of the health problems associated with drinks containing sugar, additives, sweeteners, acids or caffeine.
Parents?
- By keeping yourself hydrated, you teach your children good drinking habits.
- By checking that your children’s school has ablutions that you would use and that there are sufficient drinking points (not only in the toilets), you’re working your way towards ensuring that your children are able to easily hydrate while at school.
And for the school?
- Various studies have shown that schools that lead by example and encourage their children to keep hydrated show a marked improvement in overall attention given as well as learning capabilities.
- A child who is not irritable because of dehydration means that teachers are able to better teach their pupils.
At AquAid, being involved in the provision of water for more than 20 years, we know that keeping hydrated is of vital importance. To this end, we continue to ensure that we provide the right water dispensers to meet the hydration requirements when installing our water coolers into schools, gyms and learning centres across the country.
When AquAid install a water cooler in a school or learning facility, individual water bottles are also supplied to encourage the children to fill their water bottles throughout the day.
Our water coolers can either be Mains Fed for large schools where the water consumption is high, or Bottle Fed for schools where there are no water mains close to a particular area.
*Updated from a blog posted 11 March 2013
