Recreation and communities

Here at United Utilities, we’re responsible for water and wastewater services in the North West.

We deliver more than 1.8 billion litres of water every single day to more than 3 million homes and businesses, while simultaneously managing all the wastewater that goes in the opposite direction.

However, our role in the region goes far beyond the water in the pipes – we work to deliver the best possible benefits and value for everyone in the communities which we operate and, ultimately, try to be the best neighbour and partner that we can.

In this article, we are going to tell you more about what we do in regard to creating a better region for the communities who live here and how establishing a place for recreation plays a significant role in doing so.

Developing an area fit for enjoyable recreation

Aside from delivering water and treating wastewater, we maintain a place that people can use for recreational activities. Whether it be the open moors, the vast woodland, or the glistening lakes and reservoirs, the areas we look after play a considerable role in ensuring communities across the North West are able to improve both their mental and physical health.

Since COVID19, people living across the region have recognised some of the undeniable benefits and qualities of green space!

Over the course of a year, we estimate that more than 9 million people visit our catchment land across the region. We invest heavily in these areas to keep them tidy and a place that can be enjoyed on a continued basis.

We own 56,000 hectares of land, much of which is open for public access, where it is safe to do so. Our public sites are open for the enjoyment of visitors in a responsible manner. We have a duty to promote access and recreation and we aim to deliver that duty in a way which protects and, where possible, enhances the biodiversity of that natural environment.

We welcome a variety of forms of recreation on our sites and we do our best to accommodate these where we can. The recreational activities we permit commercially (on a case by case, site by site basis) include fell races, events, sailing, and visitor offerings such as cafes. A permit or licence will need to be applied for and obtained to undertake such activities. Free recreational activities include walking, running, and cycling.

COVID 19 has created a demand for our sites as places for local exercise and we have seen increases in visitor numbers. However, not all visitors are behaving responsibly, and we have seen an increase in issues related to litter, parking and fires, for example.

Our rules and guidance in regard to recreation are in place to ensure that we can all enjoy the region and continue to do so long into the future. The guidelines include:

• Please don’t swim in the reservoirs,
• Please take litter home with you and dispose of it properly,
• Please don’t start fires or BBQs,
• Please no camping overnight,
• And, please stick to the designated paths when out walking or cycling – we don’t want you getting lost!

To find out more about the rules and guidance when visiting our countryside parks and reservoirs, please click here.

It isn’t just us humans that are proud to call the North West our home – we are incredibly lucky in regard to the variety of animals and plants that live in our region, and our work ensures that they can do so in harmony. We work in partnership with the likes of Natural England and the RSPB to ensure our catchment land is continually being enhanced!

Educating and empowering communities in the North West

If we are to successfully build solid, sustainable foundations for years to come, then we must educate not only our future generations but also are current ones too.

We reach out to schools and the wider community to deliver engaging, innovative teachings surrounding the importance of water safety, and also the importance of money management and the great value in STEM learning too.

In order to project our work to the largest possible audience and deliver the widest range of benefits, we partner with a host of charities, education providers, and businesses within the region.

We are working to ensure that those who live within the catchments in which we service do not suffer at the hands of education inequality and are given the best possible platform to succeed in their professional life.

Virtual site tours, online interactives, workshops, and career fairs are just some of the ways in which we are helping to educate communities in the North West.

Investing in the catchment

Investing in the impact of our operations

We understand that some of the work we carry out can be temporarily disruptive to those within the region. For this reason, we make it our mission to identify all of the impacts that our operations have on the community, and support those affected.

But, what does this entail? Well, our partnership with Groundwater UK called United Futures, for example, helps regenerate areas which have been impacted by the improvement works we have been carrying out to water mains and sewage systems.

Investing in employment opportunities

We invest heavily in the local economy – supporting 17,700 jobs in the supply chain as of our half-year results in September 2020. Similarly, we work to ensure that our customers benefit economically too – investing in affordability and vulnerability initiatives that supports the wider community. Our kickstart programme is supporting 250 young people with training and meaningful work placements while our apprenticeship and graduate schemes are currently employing 88 and 36 people, respectively, with the plan to further expand later this year.

Furthermore, we invest heavily in our employees to allow them the opportunities to go out and benefit the local communities. We actively encourage our employees to get involved in local community projects and are there to assist them in regard to both finance and time in order to ensure they can actually support in the ways they want. Across the board, United Utilities employees managed to successfully deliver 2,620 volunteering hours on company time in 2018/19, showing our undeniable commitment to improving local communities across the region.

CaST, recreation, and communities

So, now we’ve delved into what we do in regard to recreation and our communities here in the North West, it’s worth providing an explanation as to how this applies to Catchment Systems Thinking, an approach we’re employing across all of our operations in the region. CaST, involves looking at the impact our activities has on the entire environment and everyone who interacts with it – therefore, improving the communities like we do above fits in perfectly!

The nature of a CaST approach involves so many moving parts and for this reason we work in conjunction with farmers, various partners, at reservoirs, in the woodlands, and in so many other ways, to deliver the best possible outcomes for the entire catchment and everyone in it!