by Martin Jefferies

A Broadstairs company's innovative gadgets look set to be
lifesavers for children in the developing world.

Aquaread, which is based at the Kent Innovation Centre, Millennium Way, has teamed up with the water charity Just a Drop, which raises money to provide wells, boreholes and hand pumps in some of the poorest parts of the planet.

Aquaread will be donating £10 for every product sold - providing
enough clean water to last 10 children an entire decade.

A child dies every 20 seconds as a result of water-borne
diseases and more than 1.1 billion do not have access to a safe
water supply, according to Just a Drop.

Craig Harrison, managing director of Aquaread, said: "Just a
Drop is exactly the sort of project we want to support and it's
incredible to think that every product we sell will literally be
saving children's lives.

"We take our corporate responsibility very seriously and that's
something that sets us apart from our larger competitors."

He added: "Eventually, we'd love to visit Kenya, Ethiopia or one
of the other African countries where Just a Drop is in action to
see how what we're manufacturing in Broadstairs is making a real
difference to people's lives."

Aquaread has bucked the economic trend of the past year, with
sales of its Aquameter, which instantly measures a range of
environmental factors when plunged into a river or a lake, more
than 200 per cent higher than expected.

It has sold the device in countries as far a field as Canada,
Malaysia, Sweden and Kazakhstan and now employs seven people - five
more than 12 months ago.

Last month, the company launched its second product, the ODO
Plus, which uses optical technology to measure oxygen levels in
volumes of water such as resevoirs, boreholes and waste water
tanks. It is expected to prove popular with the owners of fish
farms, who need to ensure consistent oxygen levels.