Havant-based contractor to Southern Water picks drawings from local schoolchildren for outside office mural

Scores of Year 3 pupils from Bosmere Junior School entered their drawings into a competition entitled ‘What water means to me’ run by Southern Water Framework Contractor Trant BTU.

The winners will have their work displayed on a mural at BTU, which has its head office in Southmoor Lane, next to Southern Water’s wastewater treatment facility for Portsmouth and Havant.

A total of 80-plus entries from seven and eight year olds will be turned into a collage, including the top 10 pieces, to be displayed on a boundary wall.

James Henderson, from Trant Engineering, said: ‘I can’t believe the amazing quality of all the entries and the level of understanding in our community regarding the importance of water in our day-to-day lives.

‘We would like to thank the students and staff of Bosmere Junior School for providing us with such stunning imagery that will adorn our boundary wall.

‘This will be the first thing that our workforce, guests and client Southern Water will see when coming here to our offices in Havant.’

Contractor BTU is owned by Trant Engineering and provides Southern Water with maintenance, process solutions and mechanical, electrical and automation services.

Population growth and climate change, causing drought and flooding, are proving challenges to water supply; so BTU launched the competition to support Southern Water’s Water for Life campaign.

David Graham, general manager at Trant Engineering, said: ‘We had a really hard time deciding on a winner - it is evident that each student has taken a lot of pride in producing these pieces and that this competition has been supported so well by the teaching staff at the school.’

James said: ‘It was a near-impossible task to decide on a winner. Due to the fabulous quality we have decided to use them all and will be rewarding each pupil with a small gift to say thank you.’

Southern Water serves 4.5 million people through 94 water supply works, 368 wastewater treatment works and extensive water and wastewater networks across Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight.