A Successful Innovate UK Project
Collaborating & Connecting in Local Communities
After engaging with our social media channels, local Councillors Lesley Boniface and Sean McCleod reached out to us, seeking assistance in their mission to alleviate flooding in the Denton area of Newhaven.
By working with Lewes District Council and Innovate UK, we were able to make this project happen!
Building strong relationships with communities was key to getting this project off the ground. Prior to the project, we caught up with Sean and Lesley who had been instrumental in bringing to life the Denton Community Garden, which is currently being developed. We then found a way to provide this community with rain planters to help slow the flow of water, improve amenity, biodiversity and give householders a store of water for their gardens!
Keep reading to find out more.
Project Partners
Key Achievements
Rapid uptake of 25 monitored devices in Newhaven
100% would recommend the project to a friend or neighbour
Satisfied householders
with an average rating of 4.86/5
A succesful Innovate UK project built on collaboration
Impactful Engagement
Tight deadlines.
Delivering this project to adhere to deadlines and achieve 100% uptake of the allocated devices was essential to it's success.
What enabled Our Rainwater to achieve this?
- Highly targeted engagement
- Our seamless sign-up process
- Collaboration with local authorities, organisations & individuals
- Our dedicated and purposefully designed rainwater management platform
Highly Targeted Engagement
No two campaigns or areas are the same, this means a blanket approach to engagement is not possible.
Prior to a campaign, we learn everything we can about a target area through thorough research. This informs our messaging, platform choice and tactics. Combined with content strategy, we produce highly educational and shareable content to improves understanding, awareness and drives householders to a dedicated landing page (more on this later).
Denton frequently suffers with surface water flooding, with residents aware of these ongoing issues. We used an entirely digital approach to communicate the benefits of taking part in this project, resulting in 100% uptake of the 25 available devices.
Collaboration with Local Organisations
We believe in community action. Because of this, we form strong relationships with local organisations and individuals, fostering rainwater champions who are highly invested in the projects success.
Providing expertly designed campaign marketing materials means spreading the word about projects is fast, efficient and messaging is consistent and aligned.
Working alongside Lewes District Council, Councillors Sean and Lesley as well as reaching out to local groups and organisations, we reached thousands of residents. Although this project had limited devices available for installation, these posts aid in increasing awareness and understanding of several interlinked factors:
- The impact of climate change on our weather & storms
- Importance of rainwater & benefits of capturing this precious resource
- Collective action as a solution to help mitigate the impacts of climate change
- Understanding of rainwater management as a concept and its importance
- Helping to reduce flood risk for the wider community, together
Just one of many successful campaign post stats.
Real Time Monitoring
Real-time monitoring is at the heart of our projects, providing not just data but actionable, easily digestible insights. With our dedicated platform and compliance dashboard - designed specifically for water companies - you can meet regulatory goals and optimise rainwater management using data-driven insights.
Constantly Learning & Innovating
We are constantly pushing the boundaries of performance improvement through innovation and learning.
In this project, three distinct interventions are being trialled to evaluate their performance in real-time. Using remote monitoring, water depth is recorded at regular intervals and sent to our secure server. This allows us to assess the efficiency of each intervention, generating valuable insights that shape the design and implementation of future schemes.
Optimising Asset Performance
Our advanced monitoring system enables:
- Preventative and Responsive Maintenance: Track asset performance to identify potential issues before they arise and respond quickly when needed.
- Future Scheme Development: Deepen understanding of how interventions perform to inform future designs and improve outcomes across projects.
- Hundreds of Thousands of Data Points: Delivered across a range of property types, enabling intervention performance testing in a variety of environments.
- Layering Data: Combining our data with high resolution rainfall data for even more powerful results - allowing us to predict in advance of rainfall events that could cause asset surcharge.
Here’s what we recommended for this project:
Classic Slim Wall Water Butt
The Classic Slim Wall Water Butt is a 250-litre rainwater storage system with a sleek oak-coloured finish. Designed for versatility, it can be floor-mounted, placed on a stand, or attached to a wall. Rainwater enters through a leaf catcher at the top, preventing debris build-up, while an overflow pipe ensures controlled release of excess water. Its large capacity and efficient design make it ideal for sustainable water management in tight residential spaces.
Manhattan City Planter Water Butt
The Manhattan City Planter combines functionality with a modern design. This 200-litre black granite water butt doubles as a planter, featuring a top section for decorative planting that also filters debris from incoming rainwater. Excess water from the planter flows into the tank, ensuring no water is wasted. The tank includes the option to hide the tap system, accessible from the rear or side, allowing for a seamless planter aesthetic. Its compact design and multi-purpose functionality make it a perfect fit for stylish, space-conscious rainwater harvesting.
