Rock to Rocque riders can refuel at new Cobo water refill station
A NEW water refill station has opened at Cobo, in time for this weekend’s Rock to Rocque charity cycling event.
It has been almost 12 months since the first permanent refill station opened in Guernsey, at the Liberation Monument.
Since then others have been added at the KGV and St Saviour’s reservoir.
The latest one is the first refill station at a beach and stands about halfway along the cycle route of Sunday’s cycle event.
Two temporary refill stations will also be installed at Portelet and Bordeaux for the event.
Guernsey Water’s water quality risk manager Margaret McGuinness said it was pleased with the response to the stations.
‘The response so far to our refill stations has been really encouraging and we are so proud to be able to provide an alternative to single use plastic bottles of water, helping Guernsey to reduce its use of plastic,’ she said.
The Rock to Rocque is an annual fundraiser for Les Bourgs Hospice.
‘The Friends of Les Bourgs Hospice are delighted and grateful that the launch of the permanent water refill station coincides with our annual Rock to Rocque cycle ride,’ said a hospice spokesman.
‘The provision of these refill stations will negate the need for our participants to have to carry single use plastic bottles of water which is both beneficial and convenient for them and of course for the environment.’
Refill Guernsey was launched in 2018 as a joint initiative between Guernsey Water and Guernsey Waste, following a presentation to Environment & Infrastructure by teenager Destiny Hollyer-Hill.
It has 63 refill business supporters in Guernsey, managed by volunteers from Plastic
Free Guernsey.
‘Installing more free refill stations around the island is a positive move towards making drinking water more appealing and accessible,’ said a spokesman for the Health Improvement Commission.
‘This mirrors the work that Early Years settings and schools are doing, to make water the default option and provides another place for us to hydrate.
‘Cobo is also a key part of the island, especially in the summer, for islanders and tourists to visit.
‘Collective actions by local organisations, such as Guernsey Water, create the conditions which make a difference to the health of our community, so the commission is very pleased to see this development.'
