Our River Our Water

Southern Water in partnership with the South East Rivers Trust and Wessex Rivers Trust will be delivering free education sessions with local schools on the Isle of Wight, the Rivers Test, Itchen and Hamble in Hampshire, the River Dour in Kent and the Gatwick Stream in West Sussex to show how to save water to protect the environment.

The national curriculum linked primary school sessions will highlight that the South East of England is water-stressed and gets less rain each year. At the same time there are more people living here and demand for water is high. The water that you use is taken from the local environment which leaves less water for our vital river habitats.

 

On the day

Classes will take part in a range of outdoor activities including river dipping, all linked to Key Stage 1 and 2 modules. Pupils will receive follow-up resources for the classroom and a leaflet to take home so they can share their learnings there too. The Our River, Our Water programme will be launching fully in September 2022.

 

How to book or enquire about sessions

Crawley, West Sussex area:  [email protected]

Romsey, Winchester, Southampton, Eastleigh and Totton areas and the Isle of Wight: [email protected]

Kearsney Abbey, Barton Path, Pencester Gardens, Kent area: [email protected]

How to save water

Here are a few water saving tips that the children are being encouraged to share with family and friends to save water:

• Sign up for a free water-saving home visit – if you have a meter and receive both water and wastewater services from Southern Water. Or register with GetWaterFit a water saving calculator to check your usage.
• Check for leaking toilets – place a piece of dry toilet paper/Leaky Loo strip in the pan overnight. If it’s dry in the morning, you don’t have a leak.
• Only push one button on a dual-flush loo – small for pee, big for poo (never both!). For non-dual-flush toilets, fit a free save-a-flush bag.
• Shorten your shower by a minute – that’s from the moment you switch it on, not when you step in! For extra savings, turn off the water between shampooing and washing your body.
• Turn off the tap while you brush – whether you’re cleaning your teeth or scrubbing vegetables.
• Keep a jug of cold water in the fridge – you won’t have to run the tap till it turns cold.