Council helps African communities through vending sales

The communities now have a constant supply of clean and disease-free water for the first time. The council signed a contract with vending operator Autobar to supply 500ml PET bottles of Thirsty Planet as part of its vending offering in leisure centres one year ago. For every bottle sold a donation of 5p goes to the charity Pump Aid, which helps impoverished people gain access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Pump Aid's simple water pump, nicknamed the Elephant pump, can supply 250 people with 40 litres of clean water a day and costs just £250 for materials. Councillor Tina Gould of Liverpool Council said: "As a Fairtrade council we take our role in making a difference to the global community very seriously and we hope others will follow our lead and support charities through the simple measure of selecting brands such as Thirsty Planet." Thirsty Planet was launched in March 2007 and has raised more than £940,000 for Pump Aid.