Children at Wingrove Primary School are taking action to help keep their neighbourhood clean after Labour Councillor Rebecca Shatwell brought together the school and Newcastle City Council’s recycling team in response to concerns from local parents.
Following reports of litter around the school, Cllr Shatwell arranged a meeting between teachers and the council’s recycling team leader to discuss how the issue could be tackled.
As a result, the school has launched a new programme of weekly litter picks, with pupils getting involved in caring for their local environment.
The initiative will run through to the February half-term before expanding into a wider programme of activities, including whole-class litter picks, a poster competition and a school assembly focused on keeping the local area tidy and reducing litter.
Labour Councillor Rebecca Shatwell said:
“Parents were rightly concerned about the amount of litter around the school, so I wanted to bring everyone together to find a positive solution. It’s fantastic to see Wingrove Primary taking the lead and getting pupils involved in looking after their local community.
“Small actions can make a big difference, and by encouraging young people to take pride in their surroundings we’re helping create cleaner, greener neighbourhoods for everyone. I’d like to thank the school and the council’s recycling team for working together to make this happen.”
The new programme is expected to help improve the environment around the school while encouraging pupils to develop lifelong habits of looking after the places where they live and learn.