Every Drop Counts community funds

Growing Redhill: "I want to say a big thank you for this offer of funding - we look forward to delivering community water saving initiatives.

Back in September 2023, SES Water donated £1,000 to the Land and City Families Trust from its Every Drop Counts community fund to develop a local nature and wildlife area.

The Trust operates The Old Pheasantry, a large 110-year-old country house in Mogador, Surrey, and brings disadvantaged children and adults to the house for residential self-catering holidays, where they can learn more about the countryside.

The Old Pheasantry grounds, which included 3 hectares of land given over to woods, a large play area, a disused paddock/stable and three neglected ponds, has since been turned into a wildlife garden and nature area. Previously any water run-off from the stable went directly into the ground and the ponds dried out in dry weather.

With SES Water’s funding the following has been bought and set-up:

• Roofing materials to make the old stable watertight and dry
• Guttering and downpipes serving two water butts
• A pipeline linking the water butts to one of the new ponds, with new heavy duty liner
• Plants around the pond
• A new bench
• Almost 150 saplings

We provided funds to Maple Road Allotment in Reigate & Banstead so they purchase water butts to store water around the site, so every plot can be reached within watering can carrying distance. The funds also went towards buying new guttering to help fill up the water butts with rain water.

"Thank you so much - this funding will make such a difference as we are doing it all on a shoe-string."

"The funding from SES Water was used to help us complete an animation on 'Healthy Rivers' and take the message out to schools in Surrey. Due to COVID-19, we approached schools in a number of ways - either face to face or online to suit their policies at the time of working with external providers. In September - November 2021 we delivered assemblies in person to more than 1,700 children in schools across Surrey. 

"The application process was informal and through a series of conversations we were able to find a level of support that worked for both us and SES Water. Had it have been through a more 'distant' application form we may not have had the opportunity to explore opportunities further, so we were very happy with it."

"We are delighted with our new water wall. The children are so excited about all the different features and there are so many opportunities for developing vocabulary, stretching thinking and supporting play skills. Managing tight budgets is increasingly difficult for schools and it was a real treat for the teachers to buy resources needed for our fabulous water wall. Thank you for the grant, SES Water."

"We have purchased the water butts with the funding from SES Water and have installed them in two different locations.

"It has made such a huge difference getting this grant. We relocated our planting area to a new spot and whilst we had a shed we had no means of collecting rainwater to water the vegetables. Our thrive practitioner works with children on their emotional wellbeing and they will enjoy spending time in the area growing vegetables and working together outdoors." 

"The water butts allow us to conserve the rain water so the Scouts can use it to water various flower beds and vegetables they grow at various times of the year towards their badge work. This obviously saves us money if we don't need to use the mains water for this purpose and is therefore beneficial to the Group. We found the application process very straight forward and were delighted when we were given the grant. It timed perfectly with the new shed and replacement of another water butt which had cracked last summer."