A facility that SAS Water supported with water safety measures is currently being used as part of the UK effort to roll out Covid-19 vaccinations.
The NHS has taken over the pavilion at Birchenwood, Kidsgrove, for the mass vaccination programme.
The pavilion is more usually used by young footballers and our involvement began with a request for help from the Staffordshire Ladsandads charity.
When Ladsandads took on responsibility for the Birchenwood sports ground, Chairman, Clive Dean, needed advice on Legionella Control and, to our delight, sought the help of SAS Water.
There’s 11 football pitches at Birchenwood and the pavilion has changing rooms, a kitchen, showers, toilets and a tuck shop. It’s a brilliant community facility.
Clive said: “I read about SAS Water Ltd in the local newspaper and was impressed by the work the story talked about. The company is also local, based in Leek, and that’s a bonus as we want to work with companies in our area where we can.
“SAS Water responded to my request quickly and came out to meet me. The advice was helpful and they laid out what we needed to do in an easy to understand manner.
I describe them as friendly, approachable and knowledgeable and they do business with a smile.
“I’m impressed that when I need advice, I can speak directly to the MD, Lizzie, and she’s always willing and able to answer any questions. In a nutshell, SAS Water do everything they say they are going to do, they do it professionally and are on time, every time.”
In the initial phase of work, the Ladsandads needed support with maintenance of the water system and a risk assessment was also needed. When Covid-19 first hit, we helped by decommissioning the water system.
The Ladsandads are now a regular customer and we carry-out routines, sampling and analysing the building’s water.
Sadly, there’s been no football so far in 2021, due to Covid-19 lockdown. Matches ceased when Staffordshire entered “Tier 4” in November 2020 and the national lockdown followed in December.
However, Clive and his team were asked whether the pavilion could become a coronavirus vaccination centre and they were very happy to help.
This meant that we got a call to recommission the pavilion’s water system before it was used by the NHS. We were, of course, delighted to be able to help.
Lizzie said: “Staffordshire Ladsandads is a wonderful organisation and are a pleasure to work with. The Birchenwood Pavilion has a lot of water outlets, such as showers and sinks and, like any public facility, that comes with a duty of care to carry-out Legionella maintenance and regular checks.
“Covid-19 lockdown has, of course, led to additional challenges. Once the initial lockdown began, in March 2020, it was vital to shut down the water system safely. Then, on reopening, a new risk assessment is necessary, with any public facility and workplace.
“All water outlets must be cleaned and tested regularly and water must be flushed through the system.”
