Parkwood Leisure and its UK customers are collaborating with Life Water and Drop4Drop, a UK charity, to provide clean water to Indian communities. Life Water is now sold in Parkwood Leisure’s 84 centres and this means that for every bottle of water we sell, funds are raised towards the construction of a new fresh water well in India. To date, Parkwood Leisure has sold sufficient Life Water to provide two drinking wells for developing communities in India. This provides 1,900 people with fresh and safe water.

How did it start?

Upon reviewing water provision within the company, it was clear that large quantities were being sold. So, we decided if we were going to continue selling large quantities of bottled water, then it needed to deliver a wider social benefit. Life water was an obvious choice as it is organically sourced, carbon neutral and made from recycled material. It also partners with the Drop4Drop charity to fund fresh water wells in developing countries, based on water purchases made in the UK.

Objectives

800 million or one in every nine people on earth do not have access to clean water. Access to clean water is the foundation or ‘building block’ for a healthy life. Parkwood Leisure aims to continue to sell Life water in all of our centres and work with Drop4Drop to develop more fresh water wells for more communities in developing countries.

Why is this project important?

Life Water’s aim is to offer a product that competes successfully with other bottled water brands, but acts responsibly in terms of addressing environmental concerns and bringing clean water to the developing world, through the Drop4Drop charity. It has always been imperative for Parkwood Leisure to source responsible brands to promote and sell within our centres, and Drop4Drop is an excellent cause to be involved with.

Project resources

Matt D’eath, our Group Catering Manager investigated the sourcing of a a more socially responsible bottled water company. This was then out across our 84 leisure centres.

Project results

During 2011 and 2012 Parkwood Leisure supported the Drop4Drop charity by selling 8,500 cases of Life Pure Water to customers across the country. The money Parkwood Leisure raised was enough to provide a fresh water drinking well for the people of Chenchu in Andhra Pradesh, India. The drinking well provides 1000 people with access to clean water every day.

Throughout the first part of 2013 Parkwood Leisure sold 5,600 cases of Life Pure Water which enabled Drop4Drop to build a new well for the Sivalpalli community in India. This new well provides clean drinking water for 900 people daily.