WaterAid fundraising

WaterAid was established in 1981 by the UK water companies, and is our principal charity. From the beginning, Thames Water employees have been encouraged to get involved at all levels of WaterAid – from trustees to committee members to fundraisers and speakers on behalf of the charity. As a result, many of our staff have a strong affiliation with WaterAid.

In 2009/10, Thames Water raised over £2.5m for WaterAid through a variety of events. These included the Love Water Ball – the second such event we have staged for the charity in recent years – which welcomed 1,000 guests to Old Billingsgate in London.

Our Chief Operating Officer and Head of Corporate Communications went on a fact-finding mission to Tanzania to see where money raised by WaterAid was being spent.

Our Love Water Ball, held at London's Old Billingsgate, raised over £600,000 for WaterAid.

The evening featured a variety of activities, including appearances by comedian Michael McIntyre and singer Will Young, and raised £630,000 for WaterAid.

Other events included our annual employee raft race, held on the River Thames in Reading. Twenty-six teams of staff and contractors donned fancy dress, on the theme of 'Lord of the Rings', and by taking part collected almost £13,000 in sponsorship.

Our WaterAid staff lottery, managed by employee volunteers, continues to be incredibly popular and raised £42,000 during the year.

We also continue to support WaterAid by distributing leaflets to our customers as part of our billing operation. This is a vital fundraising source for the charity, as many customers will continue to donate regularly for years to come. WaterAid received £1.8m from donors gained through our customer appeals.