Kind-hearted people across the North East have proved you don’t have to have a superpower to save lives.
More than £28,000 was raised at Northumbrian Water’s annual WaterAid Ball on Friday July 14, 2017, enough to save the lives of 1,900 people in developing countries.
Held at Newcastle Racecourse, Gosforth Park, the charity event, which took on a Comic Book theme this year, saw around 400 guests attend, many in fancy dress.
The money, which totalled £28,200 will go towards Northumbrian Water’s international charity partner, WaterAid, which works in 37 countries worldwide, transforming millions of lives every year in some of the world’s poorest communities by providing clean water, safe toilets and hygiene education.
In 2015, Northumbrian Water pledged to raise £1 million by 2020 for WaterAid projects in Madagascar.
Northumbrian WaterAid Chairman, Andrew Blakemore, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that we raised more than £28,000 in one night! The Northumbrian WaterAid Ball is a huge success every year and enjoyed by everyone who attends, but this year our Comic Book theme really had the ‘wow’ factor!
“The total raised will go towards WaterAid projects in Madagascar, where more than 2,000 children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and sanitation. This is absolutely heart-breaking, but thanks to all of our fundraising superheroes, we can help make a significant impact on transforming lives in Madagascar as 1,900 people will benefit from this event alone.”
Christine Mellor, Water Industry Partnerships Manager at WaterAid, said: “Once again volunteers at Northumbrian Water came together to organise a fantastic event in aid of WaterAid.
“Thank you to everyone involved for raising an incredible £28,200 that will help some of the world’s poorest people gain access to clean water and decent toilets.
“These basic services really do change lives; improving health, education and livelihoods and forming the first, essential step in overcoming poverty. This amazing support is vital as we work towards a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water to drink and a safe place to go to the toilet.”
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Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water Limited supplies 2.7 million customer in the North East with both water and sewerage services, trading as Northumbrian Water, and 1.8 million customers in the South East with water services, trading as Essex & Suffolk Water.
In the most recent survey by the Consumer Council for Water, Northumbrian Water was named the UK’s most trusted water company by its customers, while 2017/2018 customer satisfaction scores placed the company in joint first place. 2017 also saw Northumbrian Water named the world’s most ethical water company for the seventh successive year.
Abbey Road, Pity Me, Durham DH1 5FJ. Telephone 0345 6047468. Website: www.nwl.co.uk
WaterAid
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to clean water and sanitation. The international organisation works in 37 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific Region to transform lives by improving access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation in some of the world’s poorest communities. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 25 million people with clean water and, since 2004, 24 million people with sanitation. For more information, visit www.wateraid.org, follow @WaterAidUK on Twitter, or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wateraid.
• Around 315,000 children die each year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation. That’s almost 900 children each day, or one child every two minutes.
• An estimated 663 million people (around one in ten) are without clean water
• Nearly 2.4 billion people (around one in three) live without improved sanitation
• For every £1 invested in water and sanitation, an average of £4 is returned in increased productivity.
• Just £15 can help provide one person with access to clean water.
• For details on how individual countries are keeping their promises on water and sanitation, please see our online database, WASHWatch.org.