Take the initiative - Tap into WaterAid!
Nationwide, restaurants and their customers are being encouraged to make a donation to WaterAid when they provide or drink tap water.
Tap into WaterAid is a simple, inspired way for restaurants, cafés, bars and their customers to help bring water to the 1.1 billion people worldwide who have no access to safe drinking water. This initiative is now going nationwide, launched on UN World Water Day, 22 March 2008.
The Tap into WaterAid campaign encourages restaurants to ask their customers to make a small donation in return for their tap water. A suggested sum can be added to the customer's bill and all donations made are passed on to WaterAid to fund life-saving water, sanitation and hygiene education projects in the developing world.
Banner's restaurant in London's Crouch End pioneered this exciting venture when, in 2005, they proactively started asking customers for a 15p voluntary donation in return for table water.
Juliette Banner, owner of Banner's explains:
"It's so easy for all of us to take tap water for granted - but here in the UK, we are the lucky ones. This scheme is simple, clear and wonderfully effective. In a matter of months, those pennies can turn into thousands of pounds - it's incredible!
"The response we've had from the public has been phenomenal - people are normally happy to pay a contribution when they know it helps give clean drinking water to people less fortunate than themselves. People who hear about what we're doing tell us it's a really positive thing."
With one in six people not having access to safe water, WaterAid are hoping that the dining industry will feel inspired to get involved.
WaterAid's Adeline Moe, overseeing this project says:
"We're hoping that through Tap into WaterAid we will soon see both restaurant managers and customers feeling motivated to join in with this activity. As it costs just £15 for WaterAid to bring safe water, sanitation and hygiene education to someone in poverty, the momentum that we could create through this initiative would literally change someone's life. Water is life - there's no question of that - choose to Tap into WaterAid."
To find out more please go to www.wateraid.org/tapintowateraid or email tapintowateraid@wateraid.org.
