Hundreds of Portsmouth Water staff, their friends and family, gathered together this September for the first time in over 18 months and raised more than £700 for WaterAid.

The ‘Party in the Park’ event was hosted by Portsmouth Water’s WaterAid Committee at Staunton Country Farm. More than 200 people came along to visit the farm animals, enjoy live music and good food and generously take part in a fundraising raffle.

<img class="size-medium wp-image-11581 alignleft" src="https://www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Party-in-the-Park-300x213.png" alt="" width="300" height="213" />A number of employees, friends, and local organisations donated their time, money and resources to make the event a success with raffle prizes donated by Staunton Farm, Spinnaker Tower, Headromance Hair Salon, Andrew Simpon Watersports Centre and many more.

Becci Lee, who leads the WaterAid Committee at Portsmouth Water, said “I would like to thank everybody who came together to make the Party in the Park such a success and to raise money for a really worthwhile cause. The company’s WaterAid Committee were amazing and really pulled off a fantastic event.”

Bob Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Portsmouth Water, said: “Becci and the rest of the WaterAid committee did an excellent job in planning and organising this event. After more than a year of many of us working remotely because of the pandemic, it was brilliant to bring so many colleagues together to support this vital cause and have fun at the same time!

“WaterAid is an incredibly important charity and one which we have supported since 1980s. Being a water company that strives to provide clean, fresh, wholesome water to over 770,000 customers, access to clean water is a passion of ours. It is something everyone deserves.”

WaterAid is an international not-for-profit, determined to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation.

WaterAid started out in 1981, when several UK water companies, like Portsmouth Water, came together to create a single international organisation dedicated to the water crisis - because one didn't exist.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11582" src="https://www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Party-in-the-Park-2-300x206.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="206" />
Since then, Portsmouth Water has raised more than £1.3 million for WaterAid. To continue this impressive feat the company formed their own WaterAid Committee in January 2019 working to raise awareness of the charity across Portsmouth Water and the wider community.

Earlier this year in March thirty three staff took part in WaterAid’s Walk for Water raising £350 and walking a combined total 4,800km to highlight those who have to walk up to 12km a day just for clean water.

For more information about Portsmouth Water’s support for WaterAid, visit: <a href="https://www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/about-us/water-aid/">https://www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/about-us/water-aid/</a>