Derwentwater eco-club joins forces with LAGER Can for Great British Spring Clean.
More than 70 children, parents and staff from Derwentwater Primary School in Acton rolled up their sleeves to take part in this year’s Great British Spring Clean, collecting an impressive 31 bags of litter from Acton Park and surrounding streets.
The pupils, all members of the school’s newly launched eco-club Kids for Climate, teamed up with local volunteer group LAGER Can (Litter Action Group for Ealing Residents) to tackle rubbish and raise awareness about environmental responsibility.
The clean-up event, which took place at the end of March, is part of a wider campaign that sees community groups across the UK take part in a national mass-action effort to protect local green spaces. This year, LAGER Can is aiming to clean all 146 parks and open spaces in the borough.
The Derwentwater team used the litter pick as a chance to gather real-life data for the eco-club. The pupils will now analyse the types and sources of rubbish collected and come up with ideas to help prevent future littering.
The event was coordinated by school staff Ms Badau and Ms George, with support from the Derwentwater School Association (DSA). LAGER Can supplied all the equipment and training needed to carry out the clean-up safely and effectively.
Tricia Howey, secretary of the DSA, praised the children’s enthusiasm: “Derwentwater children are always eager to engage with the community. They are full of ideas and motivation and love to see their families involved. The DSA is on hand to support that and ensure our school continues to thrive. We are very proud of the children and how they showed up to support our community.”
The school already runs a variety of programmes encouraging pupils and staff to take climate action, and the eco-club is the latest initiative helping to instil lifelong environmental values.
Councillor Paul Driscoll, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for climate action, added: “It’s admirable to see young people wanting to take such proactive steps to help look after the area. It’s great to see them joining forces with community groups too. It just goes to show what can be achieved when we work together.”
Get involved
The council provides equipment for residents who wish to organise their own community litter-pick—any time of year. Bags can also be collected after your event.
