'Making water count' is not just a principle that we pride ourselves on, but also an ongoing promise to educate the next generation - they are, after all, the future of our precious resource. This is why we are passionate about education and offer free education services to schools within our area of supply.

Our aim is to enhance and develop students' enthusiasm towards water and enable them to appreciate it as a precious resource and understand the importance of the natural environment. Our education team deliver a mixture of assemblies and workshops to pupils, who currently range from Early Years to Key Stage 2.

Setting pupils different activities to test their knowledge has proven effective, with pupils using their own creativity to express enthusiasm for the importance of being water efficient. Most recently, the education team was treated to a performance of 'The Water Rap' by Year 4 pupils at a local school - although a lot of fun, it also demonstrated their understanding of how making a few changes can have a massive impact on water usage.

In October 2018, we hosted our first ever Young Innovators' Panel. 17 young innovators, aged between 16 and 18, from 13 schools across the South Staffs Water region, were invited to our headquarters to present their ideas to a panel, on how to engage with 11 to 14 year-olds in order to change the way they think about water usage. The event was extremely successful, with the young innovators presenting many great ideas that will contribute to our strategy moving forward.

As part of our ongoing education programme, we are looking for enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to help teach local schools about the wonderful world of water. If you would like to join the education team, please contact us to register your interest and provide a summary of your experience.