A great ‘moo’d in Ayr as Scottish Water Top Up Tap unwrapped

Iconic Scottish artist Steven Brown’s mascots ‘Betty’ and ‘Harris McCoo’ have helped local nursery children unveil a Top Up Tap in Ayr town centre, as part of Scottish Water’s initiative to encourage people to carry a reusable bottle and stay hydrated on the go.

The state-of-the-art refill point – only the second in Scotland – stands tall in the town’s Newmarket Street, just outside the artist’s shop.

Betty and Harris brought great character and colour to Friday’s official unveiling and wowed a group of kids from nearby Riverbank Nursery. The children took great delight in ripping off the Christmas wrapping paper to reveal the high-tech tap in all its glory.

Steven, well known for his love of all things Scottish, has put his support behind Scottish Water’s Top Up Taps and welcomed the new refill point to the town. He said:

This is a great addition to Ayr town centre and I have no doubt that our customers will make full use of it – after all, shopping is thirsty work! We’re delighted to support this campaign that encourages people to make the most of the lovely, fresh tap water we have in this country.

Ruaridh MacGregor, Scottish Water’s corporate affairs regional manager, said:

It’s fantastic to be here in Ayr to bring one of our Top Up Taps to the town as part of our Your Water Your Life Campaign. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

We’re encouraging everyone – local residents, workers and visitors to the town – to make full use of the Top Up Tap all year round by topping up their reusable bottles when they’re out and about. It can benefit health and wellbeing, saves money and helps reduce waste and the impact on the environment.

Scotland’s first Top Up Tap was installed outside the Scottish Parliament last month. Local MSP John Scott was also in Ayr to mark the unveiling. He said:

I know from my own experience that the Top Up Tap outside the Scottish Parliament is going down well, and I am in no doubt that this new feature in Newmarket Street will be equally welcomed by local people.  Providing free access to clear and great tasting water in Ayr town centre for local people and visitors is a very positive step and one I am pleased to support.

As part of its Your Water Your Life Campaign, Scottish Water plans to work with every local authority in Scotland to identify suitable locations for its network of Top Up Taps. The aim is to have the first ten units installed across the country by the end of March 2019, with Glasgow and Aberdeen due to be operational in coming weeks.

Each unit will be plumbed into the public water supply and fitted with technology which will enable them to digitally track water usage at each spot, transmitting the data via cloud technology to the specialists managing Scotland’s water networks.

Data loggers inside will provide information which can be translated into cost and plastic savings and the volume of water used.