Life-saving score

13/06/2006

A North East youth worker has helped to set the wheels in motion to ‘save’ more than 1,300 peoples’ lives.

Nicholas Rowark, aged 40, was one of 350 guests at the Northumbrian WaterAid FootBall, held at the Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Only one of the charity supporters who attended the premier bash had the chance to win a brand new Ford Ka. 

England supporter, Nicholas, who currently lives in Castle Eden, Country Durham, who is about to move home and become a resident of Shilbottle near Alnwick, tackled and won the competition to drive the shiny blue Ka away!
 
The competition to win the car was one of the many highlights of the football, which scored the right result as around £20,000 was raised for Northumbrian Water’s adopted international charity, WaterAid.  The life-saving charity provides clean, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education in Africa and Asia.

Youth ministry adviser for the Church of England’s Durham Diocese, Nicholas, said:  “We were in the process of looking for a new car so I am absolutely delighted that we have won the Ford Ka – perfecting timing! 

“I think WaterAid is a wonderful charity that provides people with things that we in the North East take for granted every day – clean, safe drinking water and sanitation.  It must be awful to have to walk miles and miles in sweltering heat to collect dirty, polluted water which will make your family ill or even worse kill them.”

Shockingly more than two million children die every year because of dirty, polluted water – that is the equivalent of forty-two 50,000-seater full football stadiums.  Just £15 will provide a child with clean, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education for life.

For further information about WaterAid log onto www.Wateraid.org.uk or www.nwl.co.uk or contact Julie Wilson on 0191 301 6713.