St Andrew's Eco Committee, awarded a prestigious Eco Schools' Green Flag with distinction last year, set our community a litter-picking challenge over the Christmas holidays. The challenge couldn't have come at a better time, as data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (CS3) shared today, showed the average temperature in 2024 was 1.6C above preindustrial levels.
Read on to find out which of our pupils were inspired by the challenge, starting with a brilliant blog written by Quinn in Year 6. (Thank you for your editorial contribution, Quinn, and to mum for buying you and Rory your own litter picker.)
Saving the environment a pick at a time
The school Eco-Committee set us a challenge over the holidays to do a community litter pick. I came home very excited, and my younger brother Rory also liked the sound of it.
So, during the holidays we went out with our litter pickers to see what we could find, and picked up all sorts of things. We decided to go down to the River Lambourne to help improve the ducks’ habitat and make sure that they don’t injure or suffocate.
To give you an idea of what we collected we picked up 10 drink cans such as beer, Pepsi and Monster cans. We also found scraps of wrappers such as a Cornetto ice cream, lots of plastic wrapping, tissues and bottle caps. We were absolutely appalled at the amount of rubbish just bobbing around in the water that we sadly could not reach. Just in one place we found six cans.
In the end when we went home we knew that we had done a little something to help the environment. Several people even congratulated us for doing a good deed. We hope to go out again soon!
Being part of a community litter picking group
Another of our litter heroes is Matthew, in Reception, and his dad, Sam, who regularly attend their local community litter picks run by the local parish council. Held every four weeks, come rain or shine, they spend an hour cleaning up their community, and even made their parish newsletter.
Filling up an entire bin bag
Zara, Year 2, and younger sister, Arabella, in Reception, micromanaged their litter pick over the festive break, collecting rubbish over the final week of their holidays. According to mum, they picked up an entire bin bag's worth, and even got their favourite four legged friend to help.
Cans discarded in the country
Eric, in Year 7, picked up litter along his road in his village one afternoon and was amazed by the number of beer cans he collected. Perhaps it's time for the breweries to share an encouraging eco message to their customers about not discarding cans in the countryside, or anywhere, for that matter, and to recycle instead?
Brothers in arms
Equipped with their own litter picker, brothers, Albie in Year 4, and brother, Jasper, in Year 1, had great fun collecting rubbish (and the odd leaf) in their community over the Christmas break. We hope it's not just for Christmas, and they continue their hard work litter picking for the rest of 2025, and beyond...
A huge thank you from our Eco Committee
Delighted by the positive response of last term's litter topic, the Eco Committee can't wait to share this term's initiative soon. An enormous thank you to all our litter heroes (and their parents). Please keep up the fantastic work.
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