Going the Extra Mile For WaterAid

Scottish Water employees, joined by friends and family, took to the streets, cycle paths, and walkways across Scotland on Saturday 20 September for the second annual ‘Tap to Tap' for WaterAid Challenge, raising over £3,000 for WaterAid’s vital work. 

The challenge is designed to be a free, fun, and inclusive fundraising event.  

Participants are encouraged to walk, run, scoot, or cycle to - or between - Scottish Water’s network of 132 Top Up Taps, promoting active travel while shining a spotlight on the distances some travel to collect water.

“We really wanted it to be inclusive and easy for anyone to take part... It was fantastic to see the event grow this year, with even more employees participating.”

Bess Homer
Senior Service Planner - Environment

Event organiser, Bess Homer, a senior service planner (environment) for the publicly-owned utility, was inspired by her experience at a ‘Pedal for Scotland’ event to create a fundraising challenge that would be accessible to all. 

Bess said: “We really wanted it to be inclusive and easy for anyone to take part. I cycled a route with family members incorporating seven Top Up Taps, starting in Linlithgow and finishing at the Scottish Parliament. It was fantastic to see the event grow this year, with even more employees participating.”

Julie McKinnon, a management systems specialist at Scottish Water, was among the enthusiastic participants. She has made it her mission to visit as many Top Up Taps as possible, with over 50 now under her belt.

Julie, who documents her adventures on her ‘Top-up-tour’ Instagram account, explained: “I was asked to get involved in the first year due to my interest in the taps. This year, ten of us from my running club - PR Run Club - set off from The Riverside Museum in Glasgow’s west and ran to Glasgow Green in the east. I really enjoyed the social aspect and talking about the event with people who approached us while we filled up at the Buchanan Street Top Up Tap.”

Scottish Water, a proud WaterAid partner since 1981, has a long history of supporting projects in countries such as Rwanda, Malawi, and Zambia to achieve WaterAid’s vision of a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene.