Water connects everything.
All life depends on clean water.
Water shapes the natural world, our bodies, our food, our landscapes, our histories, our beliefs and our inventions. It appears in our stories, our work, our play and our dreams of other worlds.
World of Water (WOW) helps people discover these connections, understand the importance of water and appreciate why clean, unpolluted water matters to all life.
You don’t have to be a water specialist to find your place in WOW.
Discover your water story
About WOW
(Image above) WOW: Main sponsors of the opening ceremony of the 'World Alternative Games' held in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, and featuring the famous bog snorkelling.
Whatever interests you, there is a water story waiting to be discovered.
Water is not an isolated subject. It runs through almost everything we do and everything we are. Follow a particular interest and water can lead somewhere unexpected: from a garden to the water cycle, from a musical instrument to its materials, from the human body to the search for life beyond Earth.
WOW isn’t a club for water specialists. It is a framework for discovering that water is already connected to whatever you are interested in.
Our approach brings together knowledge, objects, experiences and stories. By looking at familiar things from a different angle, we can develop a deeper understanding of water and the part it plays in the world we share.
The Human Body
History and Heritage
Water in Farming
Water in the Home
Beliefs and Traditions
Water in Sport
Water in Measurement
Water in Politics & Law
Water in Industry & Commerce
Water in Power
Water in Space
These are starting points, not boundaries. Each connection can open a door into another layer of the story.
Understanding water. Caring for our shared world.
Our charity mission
To advance public understanding, literacy, and good stewardship of water.
Our focus
To help clean up the world’s shared water habitat for wildlife and human life alike.
World of Water is a UK charity working to advance understanding of water through education, research, public engagement and the sharing of knowledge.
We bring together people, ideas and resources to explore water’s place in life and the environment. We want people to see not only why water matters, but how it connects with subjects and interests they already care about.
Our work includes educational outreach, publications, collections, exhibitions, storytelling and the development of ideas for wider public engagement.
Many ways into one water story
WOW’s work takes place through real-world encounters, collections and stories that can travel far beyond the place where they began.
The HoBB Field Centre
A place for exploration, exhibitions, practical projects, tours and small gatherings. The Field Centre gives people opportunities to look closely, ask questions, exchange ideas and discover connections together.
Collections and water heritage
Objects, photographs, books, maps, instruments and other materials can reveal how water connects science, everyday life, culture and history. We collect for the connections things can help us discover.
Education and storytelling
Talks, educational outreach, publications and stories give people different ways to engage with water. Our work includes Little People Books, bringing storytelling and reading into the wider WOW family.
Water education begins wherever curiosity begins.
Through outreach partnerships, we support projects that build greater awareness of water’s role in life. Education need not begin with a lesson about water: it can begin with a question, an object, a story, a practical activity or a subject someone already loves.
By following those connections, we can make water more visible in everyday life and help people develop the understanding needed to care for it.
Looking ahead
International Water Awareness Centre (IWAC)
Our longer-term ambition is to develop an International Water Awareness Centre: a place for water research, inspired education, interdisciplinary collaboration and public discovery.
The idea grows from a simple observation: water is relevant to many fields of knowledge, yet its connections are not always easy to see. Bringing different perspectives together can help us understand water’s significance across nature, society, technology, history and the future.
Our developing work at the Field Centre, including the exploration of water through themed displays and connected collections, helps us investigate ways of making those relationships visible and meaningful.
There are many ways to take part.
WOW grows through the interest, time, knowledge, creativity and practical help of people who want to contribute. You might share an idea, support a project, volunteer, explore a topic with us or help make our work possible.
Visit, volunteer or collaborate
Find out more about the HoBB Field Centre and opportunities to contribute your skills, experience and ideas.
Support the work
Both donations and help in kind support our educational work, projects and the development of our wider vision.
Share a connection
Have an object, story, skill, question or project that could help others see water differently? We’d welcome a conversation.
Every connection can lead somewhere new.
From a small object in a collection to a question about the future of our planet, every water story has the potential to open another door. We invite you to explore, contribute and help us make those connections visible.
World of Water (WOW) · A UK charity
All life depends on clean water.