Environmental awards for Llanmiloe and Five Roads schools

Children at Llanmiloe and Five Roads Primary Schools are celebrating after being recognised for their environmental efforts in the Better Energy School Awards 2020.

Llanmiloe was a runner-up in the ‘Totally Creative’ award category for schools in Wales and western England for its entry ‘The Lost Words’; and Five Roads was a runner-up in the ‘Totally Clued Up’ category for its project ‘Drowning in Plastic’.

The Better Energy School Awards is a nationwide competition for five to 11-year-olds, which is run by the Young People’s Trust for the Environment (YPTE) in partnership with Total.

Even with schools in lockdown, over 28,750 children submitted entries for the 2020 awards, which aim to generate interest in the environment and raise awareness of the need for sustainable energy sources.

Taking inspiration from the 2017 poetry book The Lost Words by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane, the children of Llanmiloe worked with a local artist to create large-scale art boards that depicted some of the animals and plants featured in the book. These, together with other artwork created by the children, were then exhibited at the school.

Children at Five Roads were horrified to find out about the hazards posed to marine life by plastic pollution and created a brilliant life-size display to illustrate the issue. The children started a campaign to have the milk they have at break served in reusable cups, rather than single-use plastic bottles which resulted in other nearby schools supporting their campaign.

YPTE Director Peter Littlewood said: “Given the strange circumstances that schools face at the moment, we have been delighted with the number of entries we have received again this year.

“Young people are really getting to grips with a wide range of environmental issues and their ideas and actions have been really heart-warming to see.”

Talking about Llanmiloe, he said: “The children’s artwork was beautiful, and we were fascinated with the idea that the boards will be placed outdoors in the school’s woods during the summertime and will be on display indoors in the more inclement weather of autumn and winter.”

On Five Roads, he added: “This was a project that showed how young people’s voices really do get heard and that if they are determined enough, they can make positive changes happen that will benefit the planet.”
Both schools received a prize of £250 in recognition of their efforts.

Executive Board Member for Education and Children’s Services Cllr Glynog Davies congratulated both schools for their awards.

“I am very impressed by the work that has been carried out by pupils in both Llanmiloe and Five Roads, they are helping to raise awareness on very important environmental issues,” he said.

“In Llanmiloe, the work is part of a wider project launched by the council’s school improvement team based around the book The Lost Words which aims to reconnect children to nature and the outdoors.

“I would like to congratulate all the children involved in both projects; they really are inspiration to us all.”

*Pictures taken before lockdown