Surviving Just Water

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Just Water is no easy feat, but we've got everything you need to succeed!

Tips and tricks

There’s no two ways about it – this is a hard challenge. But that’s exactly why you should power on through, because by doing something so tough, you’ll be able to raise money and help transform lives around the world with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

What's more, cutting back on caffeine, sugary drinks and alcohol for four weeks, and instead giving your body more of the good stuff, you'll give yourself a fantastic health kick. Over the years we've had many people report that after the first week or so, they find themselves with much more energy too!

Keep going – you've got this.

We know there’s bound to be special occasions, or certain days where the temptation to sneak a mouthful of something other than H2O will be hard to bear. So to help you out, ask somebody to buy you a ‘Raise a Glass’ pass.

By donating to your fundraising efforts, they can buy you some time off from the challenge:

  • Donate £24 for 24 hours off
  • Donate £48 for a whole weekend off

C’mon, you know this one… water. Just water. That means no coffee or tea, no booze, no juice and no fizzy pop.

It’s still water, so as long as it’s not flavoured, go for it.

This one’s a bit of a grey area, but the test is whether you consider it a meal or a drink.

If the answer is a meal, then fill your boots – we don’t want you to go without! But if the answer is a drink, like a smoothie with your toast in the morning, then you’ll need to swap it for a glass of good old-fashioned water.
 

Take our test above. Is it a meal or a drink? We’ll leave the answer up to you...

Yes, but only if it’s fresh fruit or herbs in their natural state. We've put together some of our favourite 'water cocktails' for you to try.

In a large pitcher, add 5 cups of water, one cup of ice and any of the following...

Strawberry, basil and lemon:

  • approx. 70g strawberries, stemmed and sliced
  • 5 large fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Blackberries, orange and ginger:

  • approx. 150g blackberries
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced
  • 1 (2 inch) piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

Blueberry, lemon and rosemary:

  • approx. 150g blueberries
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary

Grapefruit, pomegranate and mint:

  • 1 grapefruit, thinly sliced
  • approx. 70g pomegranate seeds
  • 10 mint leaves, torn

Of course! We have an official Just Water Facebook group, full of your team mates going through the same challenge. Why not join to meet others, share advice and words of encouragement, and even be in with the chance of winning some cool prizes?

Raise a Glass Pass

Got a special occasion coming up, or just desperate for some respite? By donating to your fundraising efforts, a very thoughtful friend or family member can buy you some time off from the challenge. A pass costs either:

  • £24 for 24 hours off
  • £48 for a whole weekend off

To request a donation for a day off, you can download our 'glass pass' badge and post it on your social media or fundraising page.

 

 

Fundraising low-down

When you registered for Just Water, you'll have created an Enthuse fundraising page. This is the easiest way to collect money you raise for the challenge – just share the link to it with your friends and family on social media, email, or messenger.

There are loads of other ways you can raise money too, like donating the money you would otherwise have spent on your morning coffees of after work pints. You could host a dinner party and ask attendees for a donation to come instead of bringing a bottle, or, if it's your birthday or other special occasion in January, you could ask friends and family to donate to your page in lieu of presents.

Many organisations offer matched funding schemes – it's always worth checking with your workplace to see if they’ll match your fundraising!

Although using your Enthuse page is the quickest and easiest way to collect money, you can also pay in any donations online, by post, or over the phone.

The easiest place to collect sponsorship is on your Enthuse fundraising page, which you'll automatically create when you sign up. Enthuse is an online sponsorship platform, and all donations you collect here will go directly to WaterAid.

You can also pay in any donations online, by post, or over the phone.

Skipping just a couple of coffees, a few pints, or a protein shake or two, and donating the money instead, could be life-changing.

  • £21.50 could pay for a water quality test, so people can be sure it's safe and clean.
  • £31.50 could build a tube well (a deep well that is dug into the ground).
  • £86 could pay for the bricks needed to build a climate-resilient toilet for a household.
  • £377 could provide a 5,000 litre storage tank, so a community can save water all year round – whatever the weather.

For many, January’s a time to focus on health and wellbeing. Just Water provides a great opportunity for people to do the ultimate detox, while raising money to give others the gift of clean water.

You can take on the challenge and still support local pubs, restaurants and cafes by eating out with friends and family, and could put the money you would have spent on drinks towards other treats instead!

Resources

Social media badges

Download our badges and share them on social media, or on your fundraising page, to let people know you're taking on the challenge – and to celebrate your progress as you go!

Get in touch

We're here to help you every sip of the way!

Join our official Facebook group for tips, motivation and exclusive prize giveaways. If you have a question you can also email us on [email protected] – we'd love to hear from you.