Making a splash for WaterAid

Students sorting their bottles of loose change.

Credit: WaterAid / New English School

The New English School have been supporting WaterAid since 2008 and have raised a staggering total of £32,551!

Kenny Melvin, Head of Year 6, tells us how it all started three years ago:

"As part of our topic on water, Year 6 watched a BBC series in which mention was made of WaterAid. As so many people live without safe water we felt inspired to support WaterAid leading up to United Nations World Water Day in March.

"Each year group watched WaterAid's short film Water for Life. The Year 4 children were so moved by the scenes of poverty that they applauded at the end. In a country where bottled water is the norm it was hard for them to imagine children drinking from muddy pools.

"Our first activity was to make use of the small water bottles most children bring to school each day filling them up with loose change. We had a 'Sponsored Spell' of watery words such as typhoid, cholera and desalination, a sponsored walk by the sea, and each year held cake sales at break time. We made WaterAid badges for a raffle and ended the events with a fun, water-related sports day, carrying water instead of eggs in the egg and spoon race! The children were genuinely enthused by the charity even popping their pocket money into the bottles.

"We raised a grand total of £7,580, enough to enable over 500 people gain access to clean water and sanitation, helping them overcome poverty and look forward to a brighter future."

The school’s efforts have gone from strength to strength since then, raising over £11,000 in 2009 and over £12,000 in 2010. They are now in their fourth year of supporting WaterAid.

For fundraising information and ideas, please visit www.wateraid.org/schools, email schools@wateraid.org or call +44 (0)20 7793 4989