THERE has been much progress in recent times with Bude becoming more environmentally-friendly.

This year, many of the local businesses in Bude have been taking steps to reduce the use of plastic where possible, including the Bude-Stratton Town Council-run Café Limelight at The Castle, Bude. The town council has also banned the release of plastic balloons on council-owned land to reduce litter and to protect wildlife.

But there is even more great news on the horizon which the townouncil are proud to support — the installation of a community water ReFILL station on the Triangle in Bude, right in the middle of town for all to use.

The water station was an idea that came from the local ReFILL movement, who have already had such an impact on minimising the use of non-recyclable and single-use plastics in the town through their ReFILL cups and bottles.

Their ReFILL cup and bottle campaign, which began in Bude, has grown on a national scale, with the likes of Michael Gove — Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs — seen out and about with his ReFILL cup.

The ReFILL water station is the latest step in their bid to protect the environment, and to prevent plastic bottles littering beaches. Deb Rosser, founder of ReFILL explains how it all came about: “I launched ReFILL in 2014 with Neil Hembrow, from Keep Britain Tidy’s project. It was a really simple idea — just take a refillable, reuseable water bottle into a café or a restaurant or such, and get pure Cornish tap water, for free!

“We began producing the ReFILL cups and bottles that have become so well-known in our town. And these have taken off — we have sold thousands, and all of the profits from these go straight back into our local community — into the charity Friends of Bude Sea Pool.

“This has definitely been a success, but it is important for us to keep encouraging locals and visitors to ReFILL bottles instead of buying disposable ones. And so, the next logical part of our campaign was to install a local water station for all to use, for free! Anyone in our town can access water at any time, free of charge, and without harming the environment.

“We created a crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds for the station, and it proved hugely popular — we managed to raise £3,905 in just 28 days, which has enabled us to purchase a state-of-the-art water station, which has three taps — one for refilling cups and bottles, one fountain for drinking on-the-go, and one to fill dog bowls, too.”

Deb continued: “I hope everyone in our town can make full use of the water station. We have the power as consumers to help stop plastic going into landfill or ending up on our beaches! And, let’s remember, it’s not just about plastic, the production and transportation of bottled water costs ridiculous amounts of money and has a huge impact on carbon emissions. It’s all really unnecessary, especially since tap water is free.”

The water station was installed voluntarily by local plumber Ali Gilbert, who said: “I’m so pleased to be able to support this initiative organised by Deb at ReFILL. She has already done so much for her town, so I was glad to be able to help her with the pipework installation to get the station up and running.”

But to even get the plumbing done, there has been the requirement of a mini digger and a surprising amount of groundwork to secure a steady base for the water station, and luckily, local builder Jon Sleeman has also stepped in voluntarily, supplying the tools and men needed to organise this. Jon said: “Bude has a fantastic community, it’s so great that we can pull together with times like these to make our town an even more amazing place to live and visit.”

Bude-Stratton Town Council are paying for the water supply to the station, and are also covering ongoing maintenance. Mayor Bob Willingham said: “We think this is a fantastic idea, and that the Bude ReFILL team have done a great job taking it from concept to reality. We believe the town will make good use of the water station, and so we are glad to support the installation however we can.”

Avril Sainsbury, from 8ight Design — and also founder of the Bude Cleaner Seas Project — is also voluntarily designing a plaque to recognise the water station: “Deb does so much for our town — she even recently won a Bude Heroes Award for her efforts to protect our environment — so I was really glad to help her with the plaque design for this water station. Everyone at Bude Cleaner Seas Project see this as a great initiative that will help protect our sea and beaches from nasty plastic.”

Alan Hyde, head of community relations at South West Water, said: “As a founding member of the Refill initiative in Cornwall, we are delighted to see the installation of a community water ReFILL station in Bude. The new station will help protect the marine environment from plastic pollution, and at the same time help keep people healthy and hydrated when out and about.”

The water station was installed on The Triangle in Bude recently, and there was a grand unveiling on Saturday, February 16.

Following the launch, Deb said: “I am so amazed at the community of Bude for raising so much money to make the ReFILL Water Fountain Station a reality for Bude.

“The ReFILL Revolution started in Bude by Neil from KBT Beachcare and myself back in 2014. We have raised thousands for Bude Sea Pool. Why buy very expensive bottled water that has travelled hundreds of miles and been stored in single-use plastic when we have the best drinking water ever in the South West? Free, pure Cornish Tap!

“Mega thanks to all the individuals and local businesses and groups who contributed to the Station. Thanks to Bude-Stratton Town Council for their support and for providing the water for free. Thanks to South West Water for their pipe planning support.

“Big thanks to Jon Sleeman of FJ Sleeman Builders and Ali Gilbert Plumbing for installing for free, Plumbase Bude for the materials, Avril Sainsbury Ei8ht Design for the plaque. And thanks to everyone who uses the fountain and bottle filling station avoiding the need to buy water in a single use plastic bottle with all the negative impacts on our environment.”

Deb added: “Let’s go back to the old days when there was a water fountain in every town. Simple ideas and simple changes to our habits will have a massive effect on our environment — let’s not litter it with plastic bottles!”