A receptionist from Townends Chartered Accountants in Goole has completed the ‘Just Water’ challenge which saw her swap her usual cuppa for tap water for a month, raising £365 for WaterAid.
Julie Walker took the challenge, described by the charity as the ‘toughest abstinence challenge out there’, which asks those taking part to drink only water for a month. Fundraisers forego alcohol, fruit juice and tea and coffee in an attempt to raise money through sponsorship and increase awareness around access to safe water in developing countries.
Julie says: “I decided to give the challenge a go after seeing an advert for it on social media. I thought it would be more of a challenge than doing ‘Dry January’ for my own health benefits, and it is such a worthy cause. It is impossible to imagine how hard it must be to not have access to clean safe water when we are so used to just turning on the tap at our convenience.”
Having never taken part in a challenge like this before, Julie rose to the occasion and completed the month without any evenings or weekends off, which Water Aid allows in return for a ‘fine’ to be added to the final sponsorship amount.
Hot water and fresh fruit infusions are allowed, something Julie found to be a bonus when craving her usual cups of tea while working on the reception at Townends’ Goole office. It was only fitting that a cup of tea was Julie’s first non-water drink at the end of the challenge.
Julie’s final sponsorship total of £365 will be added to the money raised by those participating in the Just Water challenge to help WaterAid continue its valuable work with local organisations in 37 countries in Africa, Asia, Central America and the Pacific region to help poor communities establish sustainable water supplies and toilets, and to promote safe hygiene practices.
