New drinking stations have been installed at a Newry school thanks to funding from Warrenpoint Port.
The project which provided bottle filling docks at Our Lady’s Grammar School in the city will enable students to access drinking water and reduce the use of plastics within the school.
The initiative is among the first to receive assistance from the recently launched Warrenpoint Port Community Fund.
Clare Guinness, CEO, Warrenpoint Port said:
“When we launched the Community Fund, we wanted to help projects that made a real impact on our community.
“We are very pleased therefore to provide funding to this fantastic Our Lady’s Grammar School initiative which does exactly that, by helping to promote a healthy lifestyle among pupils and benefitting the environment also.
“The programme very much reflects our own aim of promoting sustainability and, as a conservator of the marine environment, it is great to support projects that help reduce plastic waste.”
Fiona McAlinden, Principal, Our Lady’s Grammar School said:
“Our Lady’s Grammar School has a very active Eco Schools Group that plans to significantly increase the number of students and staff using reusable bottles by the end of this school year, through various initiatives.
“These water stations will help us to realise that ambition, as we aim to ensure that our students, teachers and support staff are adequately hydrated and that our carbon footprint as an organisation is also greatly reduced.
“Increased intake of water has significant benefits in the classroom and we hope to observe improved concentration levels among students as a result of having easier access to water.
“We wish to thank Warrenpoint Port for supporting this project which has made a real difference to life at the school.”
Applications to the Warrenpoint Port Community Fund which is open to all groups, ranging from schools and sports teams to choirs and community centres, remain open.
Developed to support initiatives that enrich the community, social or environmental initiatives, the fund aims to improve the impact of local projects.
Funding can be applied for on a project or ad-hoc basis, allowing a wide variety of activities to receive support.
For more information about or to apply, please visit www.wordpress-497335-2099574.cloudwaysapps.com or call +44 (0)28 4177 3381.
ENDS
For more information please contact Simon Cunningham, Lighthouse Communications, on 07731824431 or simon@lighthouseni.com
Notes to editors
About Warrenpoint Port
- Warrenpoint Port is the second largest port in Northern Ireland and the fifth biggest on the island of Ireland.
- Warrenpoint Harbour Authority was created as a Trust Port by legislation in 1971.
- In 2018, the value of goods moving through Warrenpoint Port was £6.5 billion. The Port handled 3.56 million tonnes in 2017, increasing to 3.6m in 2018.
- The port employs 70 staff directly, but more than 200 people work at the harbour every day.
- In addition to serving the markets in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the Port deals with imports and exports from countries and regions across the world including to Spain, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine and the Americas.