Pupils hydrate to concentrate

Over 1,200 GCSE students will be able to sip away the stress of their forthcoming exams after Pembrokeshire County Council teamed up with a local drinks company.

Princes Gate Water has delivered over 1250 re-usable drink bottles to our County’s Secondary Schools as part of the joint Hydrate2Concentrate initiative with Pembrokeshire County Council. Public Health Wales has also offered its support to the scheme.

The Council bought the bottles through an Education Improvement Grant. The scheme follows studies that prove staying hydrated helps concentration and awareness.

Princes Gate Water will also donate 7,500 litres of bottled water to secondary schools prior to the exams, which start on May 16th.

It’s believed staying hydrated can help students improve their results by up to 5% and relieves anxiety during this period.

“Anyone who has taken an exam knows the pressure students are under and anything that promotes a sense of well-being can only be applauded,” said Cabinet Member for Education and Safeguarding Councillor Sue Perkins.

“During the forthcoming GCSEs students will be able to keep hydrated and take a little time out from the pressures they are under by taking sips of water periodically and we hope this will help them perform to the best of their ability.

“It’s a practical and effective way to enable pupils to drink at least 3-4 glasses of water per day.”

Juliana Morgans, sales and customer care executive at Princes Gate, said: “We have been proudly working with schools throughout Pembrokeshire to promote our Healthy Living Campaign and it comes with great pleasure that this will now be extended with the launch of the Hydrate2Concentrate initiative.

“There are many studies that highlight the importance of keeping hydrated, but even more so is this the case during periods of exams.

“If our donation can support the students of Pembrokeshire in achieving their maximum potential and beyond then this will most definitely be an initiative that we’re immensely proud to be involved in. We wish each student every success in their upcoming exams.”

Liz Western from Public Health Wales said studies show that mental performance deteriorates by 10% when people are thirsty or dehydrated.

“Good hydration helps pupils to concentrate because they are not distracted by feelings of thirst, tiredness and irritability and therefore good performance is maintained,” she said.

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Pictured are pupils from Year 11 at Ysgol y Preseli with teacher Owen Thomas, head of Year 11, and Juliana Morgans from Princes Gate Water.