Aquabox
2297. Roger Cassidy
Roger Cassidy, from Derbyshire, chairs ‘Aquabox’, a charity which has distributed over 125,000 water filters and boxes of humanitarian aid to over 50 countries around the world to provide people with access to safe drinking water.
‘Aquabox’ was founded by Mike Hoole and Peter Hare, two members of the ‘Wirksworth Rotary Club’, in 1992, as a way to help provide clean water and offer humanitarian aid to victims of human conflict and natural disasters worldwide. Roger became involved with the charity, initially as a volunteer in 2013, and has been a trustee for the past 9 years and as Chair of Trustees since 2018.
‘Aquabox’ manufactures community-sized filter systems, which remove bacteria and viruses, to produce fresh drinking water. One system can produce six litres of clean water per minute, giving a family of four enough drinking water for a full year, and ‘Aquabox’ works closely with charities to coordinate distribution of the units. Their team of over 100 volunteers help pack and assemble filters as well as run educational workshops and speaking engagements to highlight the importance of safe drinking water. After experiencing their busiest year in 2023, they are now working on a project called ‘Aquaboost’ to double their production of life-saving water filters.
The award for Roger coincides with World Water Day, a day to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
Roger said:
“Clean water is so essential to life and when I first visited ‘AQUABOX’ in 2013, I was completely bowled over to see the volunteers assembling the life saving water filters and packing the aid boxes. The enthusiasm and resourcefulness of the volunteers as well as the generous support from our supporters is truly heartwarming and it has been an absolute privilege to be part of this wonderful charity for the past 10 years, knowing that we’ve helped to save the lives of many children and their families in the most desperate of circumstances.”
Find out more about ‘Aquabox’