New water exhibits at science discovery centre thanks to sponsorship

A ‘shared passion to protect and enrich the lives of future generations in Wales’ has led to a key sponsorship at a North Wales science discovery centre.

Xplore! has entered into a five-year charitable partnership with Hafren Dyfrdwy, which provides water and wastewater services in north east and mid wales.

As part of the agreement, Hafren Dyfrdwy has sponsored two bespoke interactive exhibits that highlight the importance of water in our lives.

Visitors to Xplore!, formerly Techniquest Glyndŵr, will be able to stamp on images projected onto the floor of items that should not be flushed down the toilet or put down the kitchen sink, helping to reinforce what should not end up in sewers.

The projection game also has a Q&A based on how much water various household items use.

The second exhibit “Looking after your wonderful water” sees users create pathways with magnetic pipes for blue water balls to travel around a house. When the ball enters an item, for example the bath, a symbol flashes up with the amount of litres it takes on average to complete this task.

Claire Dare, Community Education Officer at Hafren Dyfrdwy said: “We’re really excited about this partnership with Xplore!, as we’re big believers in education, and really believe in teaching the younger generation all about saving water and preventing sewer blockages. Teaming up with Xplore! gives us the fantastic opportunity to teach children all about our wonderful water in a fun, unique and educational way.

“One exhibit will show the journey of a raindrop and teach children all about the importance of saving water and keeping hydrated, and the other exhibit is all about our sewers and Poo Power, where we show families how we use waste to create energy and what not to flush.

“We’re really excited for people to come visit when they can, as we hope these new exhibitions will give everyone a fun and educational day out.”

Xplore, which reopened at the start of October following its relocation from Wrexham Glyndŵr University to Henblas Street, says they delivered close to 203,000 hours of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) activities in 2019.

Katie Williams, business development and stakeholder engagement officer at Xplore!, said: “We’re thrilled to strike up this partnership with Hafren Dyfrdwy, and I know that the new exhibits will be well received by our visitors when we open as they went down a storm with my own kids when they tried them out.”

“Water plays a key role in our lives and the educational messages being delivered in a fun and engaging way will help families make better choices around the home.

“Sponsorship is a vital source of income for us as a charity and we have a number of packages available for any business interested in finding out more.”

Claire added: “The new facility at Xplore! has dedicated rooms which will also allow us to hold workshops when COVID-19 restrictions allow.

“We have delivered many water interaction assemblies and workshops in schools and we’re excited about the possibility of arranging events for Xplore!’s visitors.”