Powwow, which has its headquarters on the Oxford Business Park, Cowley, was taken into administration by financial recovery firm Deloitte on Thursday evening with about 50 staff told the bad news after turning up for work this Friday morning.

We are also keen to hear from any ex powwow employees who may be interested in a career within London’s leading bottled and bottleless water cooler company. We are based and focused on London but provide a nationwide network for bottleless water cooler solutions through www.thewatercoolercompany.com.

For full details on the adminstration please look at the official press release from the administrators which is available on our main website at

If you would like to make an enquiry please use the form at the bottom of this email.

The Water Delivery Company supply bottled water coolers and regular deliveries of Spring Water to customers across London. We are one of the few remaining independent water companies within the UK. To contact us plese call 0845 006 3309 or email contact@thewaterdeliverycompany.com to get a quote. Our full range of water coolers can be seen at www.thewaterdeliverycompany.com.

The debate about the usage of fluoride in the general water supply dates back to the 19th century. Fluoride’s dental-health benefits were recognised by the British physician James Crichton-Browne, who in an address noted that fluoride’s absence from diets had resulted in teeth that were “peculiarly liable to decay”, and who proposed “the reintroduction into our diet … of fluorine in some suitable natural form … to fortify the teeth of the next generation”.

Fluoride in the mains water supply is used by governments across the world to medicate against chronic disease and tooth decay. It is one of the few forms of mass medication in developed society. Dental cavities remain a major public health concern in most industrialized countries, affecting 60–90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. Water fluoridation prevents cavities in both children and adults,with studies in the US estimating an 18–40% reduction in cavities when water fluoridation is used by children who already had access to toothpaste and other sources of fluoride.

In the UK the recent debate about using fluoride in the water supply started back in 2003 – as covered by the BBC website – when a governmental the Water Bill was  going through Parliament which pressed for fluoride to be added to the UK water supply. Since 2003 certain water authorities have already implemented the usage of fluoride – but considerably more have rejected the addition of fluoride and in many of these case this has been due to public outcry.

In the United Kingdom the Green Party refers to fluoride as a poison, claim that water fluoridation violates Article 35 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. We understand this position and note that fluoride is defined as a poison under the 1972 Poisons Act, in the same group of toxins as arsenic and mercury.

We recommend that people concerned about whether their water has fluoride in it should contact their local water authority or supplier to confirm.

Further Reading

A very useful source for information on current fluoride developments is National Pure Water Association – An independent non-profit organisation which campaigns for safe, non-fluoridated water. The Association was founded in 1960 by the late Lord Douglas of Barloch (right).

They oppose fluoridation because it forces a medical intervention on an entire population, regardless of individual choice. This contravenes generally accepted principles of medical ethics and violates the EU Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.

Other Useful links for the UK

All Party Parliamentary Group Against Fluoridation – www.appgaf.org.uk
National Register of Children with Dental Fluorosis – 01159 652948
Save Our Water, Isle of Man – saveourwater.tripod.com
UK Councils Against Fluoridation – www.ukcaf.org  
Wikipedia articles are really useful – opposition against fluoride article, 

Useful International Links

Fluoride Action Network – www.fluoridealert.org
International Society for Fluoride Research – www.fluorideresearch.org
Fluoride and Fluorosis, India – www.fluorideandfluorosis.com
VOICE – Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment – www.voiceireland.org
New York State Coalition Against Fluoridation – www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children – www.poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/index.html

The Water Cooler Directory

The cooler directory and thecoolerdirectory.com is the first annual directory and website of their kind and it is produced for the industry by Zenith International. Covering 30 countries, the directory includes top level company information on all the water cooler operators in the European cooler market (bottled water coolers and point of use water coolers) as well as the industry’s suppliers.

The cooler directory is a useful reference point for customers wanting to get a full list of authorised companies who can provide customers with either point of use or bottled water coolers. Customers can easily view our listing on the water cooler directory through this link.

“Point of use” is a term used solely within the water cooler industry for bottleless water coolers. It is of little use as a term to the general public and has been almost completely eclipsed with the term bottleless water cooler.

The EPDWA is an excellent organisation that The Water Delivery Company is proud to be a member of. Alongside our sister company, The Water Cooler Company we are audited annually to ensure that our products and service methods meet the highest standards.

You will need to contact your local water authority for advice if you are installing your bottleless water cooler by yourself or if you have any doubt about your water quality. If however you use our installion service we have qualified engineers who are registered with the relevant authorities. If you have any doubts we have compiled links to the UK Water Utilities which we hope you find useful.

Anglian Water

Covering Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and general East Anglia, Anglian Water is located in the east of England and serves the needs of around six million business and home customers.

Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water

The Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water Authority provides water products and services to Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

Bristol Water

Having been in Bristol for over a hundred years, Bristol  Water supplies drinking water tocustomers in a 1000 square mile area centered on Bristol.

Cambridge Water

Smaller water company which provides water services to customers in South Cambridgeshire.

Dee Valley Group

Dee Valley water’s area of supply covers 831 square kilometres in North East Wales and the North West of England.

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water

Dwr Cymru is the largest water supplier to the Welsh market including Swansea and Cardiff.

Essex and Suffolk Water

One of the larger suppliers of water services to Essex and Suffolk

Folkestone and Dover Water Services Ltd

South east England supplier with a strong focus on Kent including Folkestone and Dover obviously

Isle of Man Water Authority

Long established supplier of water services to the residents and businesses of the Isle of Man.

Kelda Group – Yorkshire Water

Large water supplier to Yorkshire water covering the North of England. 

Mid Kent Water

Maidstone and primarily East Kent supplier of water for commercial and domestic customers.

Northern Ireland Water

Dominant supplier of water services to the Northern Irish Market in Northern Ireland.

North West Water

Provider of water services in north west of England.

Northumbrian Water Limited

Water supplier to Northumbrian area of the United Kingdon.

Portsmouth Water

Portsmouth Water supplier – one of the few local companies of water services in the UK

Scottish Water

Targeting customers across Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow with water services.

Severn Trent

Supplier of water services to the Midlands inc Birmingham and mid Wales.

South East Water

Water services for businesses and consumers serving the South East of England.

South Staffordshire Water

Suppliers of water services to South Staffordshire  and wider Staffordshire area.

South West Water

Water services to suppliers in the West of England – covering Reading and Maidstone.

Southern Water

Supplier across  Kent, East and West Sussex, Hampshire and still holds a long term contract for water services to the Isle of Wight.

Sutton and East Surrey Water

Covering  West Sussex, West Kent and most of South London with water services.

Tendring Water

Part of a larger group, Tendring water supplies the Tendring peninsula in Essex.

Thames Water

A large supply area for water services across London and the Thames Valley: from Kent in the east to Gloucestershire in the west.

Three Valley Water

Supplyier of water services to the Home Counties and the South East of England.

United Utilities

General utility company that supplies water to the  North West of England as well as other general utility services.

Northern Ireland

Leading agency for Northern Ireland that provides water services for business and residential customers.

Wessex Water

Covers South-West England with many of the home counties with water serices

Yorkshire Water Services

Yorkshire water need to be contacted directly regarding water cooler installation if customers don’t use our installation service.

If customers require any further details on local water authorities please call us on 0845 006 3309 or email contact@thewaterdeliverycompany.com.

The EBWA - the European Bottled Watercooler Association – states it’s objectives (shown below) on its website, and these are very similar to those of the the British water cooler associations. Where it differs is in its scope and therefore its tricky balancing act of developing common practices across different countries across Europe. All these countries have specific needs which often means that what is right for one country is wrong for another.

“The mission of the European Bottled Watercooler Association is to ensure that the consumer is provided with bottled water products served from watercoolers that are of the highest standards of quality both in product and service.”

According to the Articles of Association, EBWA is a non-profit making and non-governmental international organisation whose principal aims are:

• To serve as the authoritative source for all information concerning the watercooler industry and its use of all denominations of bottled water
• To facilitate the exchange of technical, scientific and regulatory information
• To define, promote and maintain the highest standards of quality and hygiene in the Industry through self-regulatory instruments including an EBWA Code of Good Hygienic Practice
• To promote ethical, professional and legal practices in the Industry
• To work with national and European government agencies and regulatory bodies whose regulations and standards affect the Industry
• To co-operate and discuss areas of mutual interest with other industries, organisations and associations

The Water Delivery Company is not a member of the EBWA and provides this blog for information only. For information on the core principles and methods we follow please look at the water cooler service assurance and the enironmental sections of our website.

The Water Delivery Company is very proud to announce that in the 2007 industry analysis by the independent analysts Plimsoll we have been listed as the only “New Star” in the industry. A New Star is a company incorporated within the last 5 years that is performing well above the industry benchmarks for financial and service performance. For more information on the industry analysis please look at the specific water cooler section of the Plimsoll website.

For full details of the award please look at the article page on the Cooler Innovation website.

Since starting the company in June 2003 the company owner, Robert Laughton, has targeted steady growth focused on providing first class products and services to home and business customers throughout the London area. “We are very proud to be the only company within our industry to be awarded the coveted ‘New Star’ title. It is nice to have an external commendation verifying the hard work and focus by all staff over the last five years”.

“Having recently moved to a 6000 sq foot warehouse in SW19 over the Christmas period we now have to focus on the next five years growth – and compete with the longer standing members of the water cooler fraternity”

Full details on the company and its sister company, The Watercooler Company (providing bottleless water cooler solutions) can be found on our company details page on our main website.