Thirsty Planet hits £1 million
Enough water to fill Kielder Water, the UK’s biggest reservoir, three and a half times over is the gift Thirsty Planet bottled water is making to some of the poorest people in southern Africa through its partnership with Pump Aid. Total donations have recently topped £1 million which will fund a staggering 730 billion litres of clean water in Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Paul Martin, managing director of Thirsty Planet, is thrilled with its success. “It took us two years to find a charity that fitted our brief when we were planning the launch of Thirsty Planet. But this fantastic achievement shows we made the right decision.
“We have the utmost admiration for Pump Aid. From the start it impressed us with its cost-effectiveness and its method of working, particularly its sensitivity to cultural issues. We’re incredibly proud that together we are helping more than one million people in Zimbabwe and Malawi get on the first step out of poverty.
“And of course we have to thank all our customers, consumers and suppliers who have given us such overwhelming support and helped to make Thirsty Planet the top-selling good-cause water brand.”
Unlike other brands that claim they donate profits to charity, or run a promotion supporting a charity for a limited period of time, Thirsty Planet is unique in being the only grocery brand that guarantees a stated donation for every pack sold, for example 5p for every 500ml bottle, without limit of time.
“Thirsty Planet is attracting a growing number of loyal consumers and customers who appreciate how easy it is to make a difference to someone’s life,” said Paul. “It’s available all over the UK and can be found in major supermarkets and a range of other outlets including Thomson and First Choice holiday flights, Chester Zoo, Hackney council, and dozens of schools and colleges.”
International director of Pump Aid, Kathryn Llewellyn, thanked Thirsty Planet for its support saying, “The regular funding we receive from Thirsty Planet has helped us to accelerate our installation programme in Malawi and to keep going in Zimbabwe during the recent troubled times. We’d like to thank everyone who has ever bought a bottle of Thirsty Planet and assure them that every penny of their donation has been used wisely. There are still almost a billion people in the world without access to clean water so we still have a long way to go.”
Paul Martin is pictured at Fewston Reservoir near Harrogate. Every three months donations generated by Thirsty Planet are providing this volume of water – 3.5 billion litres – to impoverished communities in southern Africa.