Tapping into superhero power

04/09/2006

A gang of superheroes will come to life today and begin an educational adventure with children from across the region about the world of water.

Characters Karl, Kelly, Jermaine, Bethany and Splash make up Northumbrian Water’s ‘H2O Gang’ and each have their own super power which is activated when they drink tap water.  Dr Dry and his henchman, Drip, are evil and want to rule the world by stealing or wasting all water – it is up to the ‘H2O Gang’ to stop them!

Reporters and photographers are invited to meet the larger-than-life-size characters for the first time, along with children from a County Durham school, on Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at the magical location Seven Stories, 30 Lime Street, Newcastle upon Tyne at 11.00am.  Please arrive by 10.45am.

The children, aged five to ten and from St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Chester-le-Street, will meet the characters and hear stories from the first two ‘H2O Gang’ comics. 

The comics will be read to the children by a storyteller in the Artist’s Attic of Seven Stories.  The children have been given this exciting opportunity as they helped choose the best-designed and most appealing superheroes.

Claire Riley, Northumbrian Water’s Marketing Manager, said:  “The superheroes will help educate children throughout the region, in a fun and appealing way.  The overall message is water is precious.  The ‘H2O Gang’, who will have to constantly protect themselves from Dr Dry and Drip, will explore the water cycle, how water can improve everyone’s health, how to conserve this precious resource and how some people in the third world don’t have access to safe, clean water – something we take for granted in the North East.”

A competition will also be launched which will be open to children who visit the superhero exhibition in the Seven Stories Book Den until December 15, 2006.  The exhibition explains how the superheroes were created and brought to life and also gives a taste of what adventures lie ahead. 

To enter the competition children will have the opportunity to create their own good and bad characters, write their own story about the superheroes and also colour in the characters.

The ‘H2O Gang’, always stalked by the evil Dr Dry and Drip, will help teach children about the world of water by visiting schools, an interactive CD-ROM, a series of comics and they will also feature on Northumbrian Water’s website.

For further information please ring Cara Hall on 0191 301 6720.