by Fern Shaw | Mar 5, 2013 | Water Coolers
I’m sure that we’ve all heard the expression, ‘Don’t drink the water, fish live in it’ and all the rather awful imagery conjured up from that thought. If that isn’t enough to put you off drinking tap water for a good while, try these water inhabitants on for size:
Ashrays
Ashrays, or Water Lovers, are from Scottish mythology and are believed to be completely translucent water creatures that are often mistaken for sea ghosts. They can be both male and female and can be found only under water. Being completely nocturnal, one would never come across such creatures during the day. When captured and exposed to sunlight Ashrays supposedly melt and only a puddle of water remains.
Bäckahästen
Bäckahästen means brook horse; this was the name of a mythological horse in Scandinavian folklore. She would appear near rivers in foggy weather, and whoever decided to ride on her back was unable to get off again. The horse would than jump into the river, drowning the rider. Celtic folklore describes shape-shifting horses called kelpies, and it is thought Bäckahästen may be a kelpie.
Blue men of the Minch
These supernatural sea creatures were said to live in underwater caves in the Minch, a straight between Lewis, Long Island and the Shiant Islands near Scotland. The Blue Men looked like humans with blue skins. They were infamous for swimming alongside passing ships, and attempting to wreck them by conjuring storms and by luring sailors into the water. If a captain wanted to save his ship he had to finish their rhymes and solve their riddles and always make sure he got the last word.
Bunyip
Bunyip literally means devil, or spirit. It is a mythological creature from Aboriginal Australia that was said to lurk in swamps, creeks, riverbeds and waterholes. Aborigines thought they could hear their cries at night. They believed Bunyip took humans as a food source when their stock was disturbed, preferably women and they tended to blame the Bunyip for disease spread in the river area. Bunyip supposedly had flippers, a horse-like tail and walrus-like tusks.
Here, at AquAid, we can’t promise you unlikely tales of creatures in your water cooler, but we do guarantee that the water we supply will be fresh spring water bottled and sealed at one of our three sources in the U.K.
Even more marvellous is that for each purchase you make, a percentage of the revenue generated goes to sustainable clean drinking water projects in Africa and other Third World countries.
by Fern Shaw | Feb 27, 2013 | Water Coolers
As you may well know, an integral part of AquAid’s professional ethos has always been to work smart; be kind to our environment (from whence we draw our sustenance in so many ways) and be charitable with a knock-on effect by involving ourselves in sustainable projects globally, choosing projects that allow people to empower and help themselves long after water pumps have been installed and wells built.
Purchases of AquAid’s range of water coolers, water boilers, in cup drinks and water fountains has generated donations for January 2013 as follows:
£6,735 to Christian Aid
and
£50,492 to The Africa Trust
In 2012, a total of £88,600 was donated to Christian Aid and £688,000 to The Africa Trust.
The Africa Trust works to bring sustainable solutions to poverty in Africa. This includes establishing sustainable supplies of clean productive water and decent sanitation. Income generating projects are used to pay school fees, improve clinics and generate the funds needed to run orphanages.
Wealth creation is an important objective, with business skills training helping school leavers and villagers to start or expand profitable businesses. One of the innovative new projects is growing bananas to pay for school fees. The banana plantation can only be established once an Elephant Pump or piped water plus a fenced area, have been installed at the school.
More information about the banana growing and other sustainable projects can be found here, paying for school fees with bananas!
We are looking forward to a wonderfully successful 2013 and of course, our previous, current and future successes with our charitable contributions are all because of the relationship we have with you, our valued client.
by Fern Shaw | Feb 22, 2013 | Charity, Water Coolers
As was mentioned in our previous blog, we at AquAid Birmingham maintain great staff retention partly due to our work ethic and partly due to our organisation being staffed by a team of professionals who also care about those other than themselves.
This attitude is spearheaded by Scott Barnbrook, who is the Regional Manager here at AquAid Birmingham.
Scott has just competed in the www.toughguy.co.uk competition and in doing so, raised in excess of £500 for Birmingham Dog’s Home www.birminghamdogshome.org.uk , further illustrating that it’s not just about a fellow man, but man’s best friend too.
AquAid Birmingham believes strongly in optimum service, by ensuring that we effect prompt deliveries. This allows us to maintain multiple key accounts, a few examples being large contracts with many large building sites where they are on lengthy projects building new hospitals and large Tesco’s stores.
AquAid Birmingham’s efficient and knowledgeable account managers and sales team are available for anyone requiring water cooler; water boiler or drinks solutions for their school, organisation or company.
Please feel free to fill out the form below to have one of the team contact you. We’ll be delighted to assist you
by Fern Shaw | Feb 18, 2013 | Water Coolers
Multifunctional
Water coolers don’t just mean cool, clean, fresh drinking water on demand. They can also mean piping hot water for your favourite hot drinks to warm you through the nippy cold months. I’m referring to our range of water boilers .
Even more convenient in the ‘Choices Division’ is the:-
AquAid Water Chiller / Boiler Combination!
Then, just when you thought the convenience and options couldn’t become any more marvellous, we also offer a selection of hot and cold beverages for your work place too:
Café Direct Drinks Range:
- Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate
- Café Direct Coffee
- Bovril
- A full range of Soups
- Kenco coffee
Wherever possible, we choose to supply Fair Trade products, like Café Direct coffee. Fair Trade guarantees a better deal for Third World producers and allows them to invest money in local healthcare and education.
Hot & Cold Water Dispensers from AquAid can also be installed with cool, refreshing sugar-free natural flavours peach, lemon & lime, apple and pear and for each bottle we sell, we’ll donate 5p to Christian Aid.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, all this choice has made me thirsty, I’m off for a quick cuppa Bovril.
by Fern Shaw | Feb 8, 2013 | Water Coolers
Inception and operations
We’ve been in operation for 13 years. An indication of our commitment to what we do shows in our great staff retention:
- Lindsey Page, our dynamic Office Manager, has been with AquAid for 10 years
- Joe Farnell, Account Manager extraordinaire, with AquAid for 7 years
- Pete Dinger, Clive Homer and Paul Unitt have been with us for 5 years
We have a total staff contingent of 13 people who are dedicated to offering our very extensive customer base, 780 Bottle fed water coolers and 1538 Mains fed water coolers, with unrivaled service and attention.
Monies raised
In 2012 AquAid Birmingham raised £43 000 for our hand-picked charities that provide, amongst other sustainable projects, clean drinking water to communities in Third World countries. That translates to enough funds for 4 300 children to have drinking water for life.
EDWCA Audit
The EDWCA, European Drinking Water Cooler Association (previously known as the European Point-Of Use Drinking Water Association EPDWA), is an association that was formed to “promote, develop and maintain the highest standards of hygiene, safety and ethics within the European Point-Of-Use Drinking Water industry to the benefit of customers.”
We are delighted to announce that last year we scored 100% in our EDWCA audits. This means that not only do we adhere to the stringent EDWCA requirements and take pride in our work, but that our valued customers benefit from us meeting and surpassing these standards too.
by Fern Shaw | Jan 30, 2013 | Water Coolers
Drinking sufficient water increases employee productivity and employee wellness is an important issue for companies both big and small.
Did you know that employees not performing at their best may be dehydrated? According to health news, scientific evidence between cognitive performance and dehydration is strong and continues to grow. It’s believed that the more hydrated you stay throughout the day the more constructive you are.
There are other benefits to the company and employees alike:
- Improved productivity – A water cooler will constantly supply cooled fresh water – a jug in the fridge has to be constantly refilled from a tap. People have to wait for the kettle to boil.
- Reduced electricity consumption – A water cooler or water boiler means water-on-tap from a central point as opposed to constantly opening and closing the fridge door or repeatedly switching the kettle on.
- Reducing water wastage – There’s always ‘that’ person who will not fully close the tap or who overfills the kettle. A water cooler or boiler eliminates this problem.
- Healthier employees – Having cool, fresh water on ‘tap’ can encourage people to drink water in place of fizzy or energy drinks which can actually lead to dehydration, whereas a hydrated person will be more healthy, happy and more productive.
Install a water cooler for your office to keep employees hydrated. Using a water dispenser keeps employees awake, alert, healthy, and less fatigued. Why not give your employees the opportunity to fill up their water bottle throughout the day. It’s better for them, and as a result, better for you.
