Thousands dance for clean water

The Big National Ceilidh for WaterAid

23 October 2009

David Oliver at WaterAid's Annual Supporters Meeting in London in October.

Credit: WaterAid / Georgie Scott

On Saturday 17 October, more than twenty-five ceilidhs were held in the UK and overseas as part of WaterAid's Big National Ceilidh. Proceeds from the event, which are estimated at over £20,000, will be donated to WaterAid's work improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities.

On the night, ceilidhs were organised across the UK (and one in France) in schools, village halls and churches from Edinburgh down to Woking. To unify all the events, at 10pm everyone danced the Circassian Circle to the tune of 'Jamie Allen', chosen due to its strong connection with Northumberland, home to father and son David and Joey Oliver. David and Joey, from Hexham, first came up with the idea for the Big National Ceilidh two years ago and this is the second year of the nationwide event.

Both involved with the folk music scene, David is Chair of FolkArts, and Joey is the whistle player in the BBC award-winning band 422. 

David Oliver said: "We chose to support WaterAid because of the fantastic work it does, bringing a simple, major, permanent improvement to many people's lives. We are thrilled that WaterAid have taken on the Big National Ceilidh this year and we hope that as a result, more and more people will go to ceilidhs and will think of them as wonderful, stimulating community events – and effective fundraisers too."

David and Joey gave a speech to over 300 people at WaterAid's Annual Supporters' Meeting earlier this month and entertained the audience with their rendition of 'Jamie Allen' on the accordion and whistle. They inspired WaterAid's CEO Barbara Frost so much that she is planning her own ceilidh for 2011. 

The Olivers, together with WaterAid, have created a step-by-step guide to help people to organise their own ceilidh. To find out more, or to request a Big National Ceilidh pack for next year, visit www.wateraid.org/ceilidh or call 0845 6000 433.

For more information or images please contact Brenda on 020 7793 2245 brendamcilwraith@wateraid.org. David Oliver is available for interviews, please call Brenda to arrange.

Notes to Editor:

• At least 4000 children die every day as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. 
• 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population.
• 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population.
• Just £15 can enable one person to access safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation.

A ceilidh (pronounced to rhyme with 'daily') is an informal social evening involving a combination of music, song and/or dance and sometimes storytelling and other activities. It is a convivial, totally un-solemn occasion, usually involving food and drink as well as good company and participative entertainment. Traditionally, particularly in Scotland, dance was not a requirement but drinking, singing and storytelling were. In recent decades, though, the term 'ceilidh' has tended to replace 'barn dance' in England as a description of an evening of traditional social dancing with a live band.