SCHOOLCHILDREN across Wychavon are helping to keep the area free of litter.
Karen Blanchfield, an ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy, launched the Little Litter Warriors program in March in an effort to give schoolteachers a helping hand.
The programme has been offered to all schools across the district and on Tuesday, November 2, Bretforton Village School became the latest to get involved.
Headteacher Kevin Riley was “delighted” to have been involved.
He said: “As a school that takes environmentalism very seriously, having gained six previous Eco Green Flags, we are always keen to learn more about how we can improve our local area and to develop the children's knowledge of how their actions impact the world around them.
“The children had a very enjoyable time collecting litter from around the village and it was really interesting to find out just how long some of the litter had been left there for.”
The oldest item found was a drinks can dating back almost 20 years, with a use by of 2002.
Ms Blanchfield, also a local Scout leader, came up with the idea during the first lockdown when she noticed how hard teachers were working to support children’s educations and now thanks to Wychavon District Council, as part of its anti-litter campaign, her vision has become reality.
Since launching in March, Ms Blanchfield has visited 22 schools, educating over 1,600 pupils.
She said: “During the first lockdown I was home-schooling three children and I was surprised at how many hours our teachers were working to support our children’s education.
“Seeing just how hard our teachers were working I decided I would develop classroom resources to support the litter pick activity and give our teachers a lesson prepared for them.”
On her day at Bretforton, she added: “I spent a lovely day with the children, and I was inspired by their knowledge and enthusiasm around litter and the damage litter is having on the wildlife.
“The pupils expressed how they were keen to continue to help prevent littering by wanting to take their families out on their own litter pick hunt.”
Ms Blanchfield’s calendar is full up for the rest of the year with visits to St Barnabas’ in Pershore and St Mary’s in Broadway planned for next week.
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