Schools in the north east are celebrating after pupils took part in a ‘green’ competition with local bus operator, Stagecoach North East, and were selected as winners with a £250 prize.
Lord Blyton Primary School in South Shields, Fairfield Primary School in Stockton, St Mary’s RC Primary School and Broadway Junior School in Sunderland, Atkinson Road Primary School, Milecastle Primary School and Lemington Riverside Primary School in Newcastle and Lynnfield Primary School in Hartlepool entered the eco competition launched by Stagecoach North East as part of its annual Green Week campaign.
Pupils from Reception to Year Six at the various schools took part and were tasked with listing all the ‘green’ activities their school had recently undertaken, including weekly recycling of paper and card, litter picks and energy monitoring.
The youngsters also demonstrated their word skills with an ‘eco’ wordsearch and artistic talents with bright and colourful pictures of an environmentally friendly activity, and the schools were selected as winners from all the schools in the north east, thanks to their efforts.
With a designated ‘Eco Warrior’ team, pupils at Lord Blyton Primary School in South Shields meet weekly to discuss environmental issues and to carry out the various ‘green’ activities. Taking the environment seriously, the pupils take part in school gardening club and the school provides daily healthy snacks such as fruit, and encourage pupils to choose healthy modes of transport to travel to and from school.
The school was presented with a £250 cheque which will be used to buy eco friendly items for everyone to benefit from, including recycling bins for school. As a thank you to the school and to reward the youngsters for their hard work, the school received a visit from assistant operations manager, Carl Trodden, who works at the bus depot in South Shields.
During his visit, Carl talked to pupils about the ‘green’ activities that take place around the depot, such as sorting waste into bags for recycling, collecting litter and saving energy by using lights that turn off when room are not in use, to help protect the environment.
Eight-year-old Lacey, a pupil at Lord Blyton Primary School, said: “I think that it is really important that we take part in ‘green activities’ because it helps us to make the world a better place.”
Carl said: “The pupils at Lord Blyton Primary School sent in a fantastic range of colourful activity sheets and thought up some great ideas to be ‘green,’ so well done to all the youngsters who took part.
“The children really enjoyed the visit and it was lovely to see them so enthused about the environment, which they are clearly passionate about. I hope the school can add to its green credentials with the prize and keep up the great work they are doing.”