Reward for 9W (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Reward for 9W

KIRKBY Stephen Grammar School's Year 9 pupils have been rewarded for their efforts in keeping their school clean and green' with the treat of a day out at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach. The £500 prize, which will pay for the outing, is sponsored partly by the Penrith-based Not-for-Profit company Eden Community Recycling and partly by Kirkby Stephen company Out of Eden, in recognition of the pupils' hard work in recycling and litter-picking.

Ian Collingwood, General Manager with Eden Community Recycling, thanked all those involved during school assembly recently, but reserved special thanks for pupils now in class 9W. He said: "It's rare to find such enthusiasm for the environment as that shown by the children in 9W. They have given their time voluntarily and willingly and should be commended on their achievements."

Kirkby Stephen Grammar School has for some time been interested in recycling and minimising litter and last year ran a competition to see which group of children was the greenest. The winning class demonstrated real commitment to protecting their local environment. More than any other class in the school, its members were active in collecting paper and card for recycling and in hunting down and removing litter from the school grounds.

Waste cardboard generated at the school is collected and supplied to local mail order company Out of Eden for use in packaging and protecting goods during transit. Janet Hartley, of Out of Eden, said of the recycling scheme: "We've developed a great working partnership with Kirkby Stephen Grammar School. They get rid of their waste cardboard in a very environmentally sound way and we receive free packaging material, saving both them and us money. It's a win-win situation."

Waste paper collected at the school is picked up by Eden Community Recycling for recycling. In return, Eden Community Recycling pays £35 per tonne to the school for all paper collected.

The Grammar School invested in its own litter picking equipment last year, with assistance from Eden District Council, in an attempt to keep the school grounds clean and tidy. Teacher Mike Sunderland said of the clean-up initiative: "School children are often criticised for dropping litter, but here at Kirkby Stephen we are actively challenging that assumption. Litter picking here is an ongoing exercise and one that the pupils take a pride in."

The winning class, 9W, and runner-up classes 8G and 8D will travel together to Blackpool by coach shortly to enjoy their prize, courtesy of Eden Community Recycling and Out of Eden.