IT WAS part of a revolution in public health when it was built in 1856.

And two years ago school children from South Liverpool helped refurbish it for a heritage and culture project.

Now pupils from one of the schools have revisited a Melly water fountain as part of our Tap Into Water campaign.

Water company United Utilities and the Liverpool Daily Post have joined forces to encourage readers to choose tap over bottled to help save the planet.

Pupils from three city primary schools learnt about the benefits of clean, fresh water when they gave the fountain on Woolton Road a facelift.

A dozen youngsters from Bishop Eton RC primary school, Mossley Hill, have inspected the work of their predecessors carried out in 2006.

Head teacher Debbie Bostock and her staff are now backing Tap Into Water. She said her pupils are not only told of the health benefits of drinking plenty of water, but also encouraged to reuse plastic water bottles and fill up with cooled mains water.

Mrs Bostock told the Daily Post: “We have a great regard for the environment.”

The school has also raised more than £1,000 for a bore hole in Africa.

“We think everybody should have the right to clean water,” Mrs Bostock added.

The Melly fountains were named after Tuebrook philanthropist Charles Pierre Melly, who imported the concept of public fountains from Geneva in 1854, where he had seen their health benefits.

At that time, he said, dockers could only get a drink in the local pubs “where they were expected to pay for a stronger and less refreshing drink than they required”. Melly initially invested £500 of his own money and installed 43 drinking fountains, between 1854 and 1858 at various locations around the docks and the city.

The Woolton Road fountain is built into the wall of the old reservoir. In 2006, year five pupils from Bishop Eton worked with other youngsters from nearby Childwall CE School and King David School.

The project was organised and funded by UU and the Culture Company.