A team of young eco-warriors got a response from Downing Street as they shared their ideas on how the country can reduce its carbon footprint.
As part of work to renew their Eco Schools Green Flag for the third time, students from Burradon Community Primary School wrote letters to the Prime Minister to stress the importance of the United Kingdom
One of the children who wrote to the PM was eight-year-old Kyla. She suggested that residents should be encouraged to take out plugs and switch off appliances when they aren’t in use – this would lead to “less air pollution, people will socialise more, be more active and happier”.
Speaking on her letter, Kyla said: “We wanted to write to the Prime Minister about saving energy and using less water because it is extremely important that we all are doing this to help the world that we live in for ourselves and for the future.
“Lots of water is wasted when baths are ran and people leave water running when brushing their teeth, water is precious because it keeps us alive!”
Pupils across the school carry out work on a number of eco-schools topics including biodiversity, litter, energy and waste.
And as part of these topics, they have made a huge impact on the way their school works. They have introduced Fairtrade items into the staff room, created a woodland area for butterflies to raise awareness of pollinators and wrote a letter on reducing electricity and waste to the Prime Minister – for which they received a reply from 10 Downing Street thanking them.
Cllr Carl Johnson, North Tyneside Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for the Environment, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to award Burradon Community Primary School with their Eco Green Flag for the third time.
“Some of the work they have done has been amazing, to see children so young taking such a keen interest in their environment is very inspiring.
“Everyone at the school has put in so much outstanding effort to earn this award and they can be immensely proud. The pupils are enthusiastic, the staff are committed, and it really has been a school-wide effort.
“I’d like to congratulate them on their success, and I look forward to seeing what they get up to in the future.”
Angela Hunter, headteacher at the school, said: “We are delighted to have successfully been re-awarded the Eco Green Flag again and it is yet another fantastic achievement for our wonderful school.
“Our Eco work is embedded into the school’s curriculum, providing our pupils with the opportunities to lead change within our school and build on the excellent partnerships we have with our local and wider community.
“This re-award reflects the hard work of our amazing pupils and staff and they thoroughly deserve the national acclaim for their dedication to the environment.
The Eco-Schools Green Flag is an internationally recognised award for excellence in environmental action and learning. Schools can work up to Green Flag level by achieving bronze and silver awards which are self-accredited stepping stones along the way.
For more information, or to get your school involved in the scheme, visit https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/.
ENDS