Youngsters' environmental impact in Dearne Valley communities

Environment team staff are employed by Dearne Area Council, a local branch of Barnsley Council, to work with communities to improve the locations where they live.

Councillors came up with the idea of running a schools competition to design anti-littering posters, as primary age pupils often take part in sessions to remove rubbish from public areas.

The team were overwhelmed with the response, receiving 88 designs, but then faced the tough job of selecting winners.

They whittled it down to two - only to find the two artists had not left full identification details on their posters.

Fortunately, social media proved to be the tool they needed to track down the pair and now Ella Hawkins, aged 10, who attend Lacewood School, and Archie Lancaster, 9, who attends Heathergarth School, have been found.

They were invited to meet the Dearne area team to pick up prize boxes - and hear the news that their designs will be turned into laminated posters which will go on bins around the district, in an attempt to discourage more people from dropping litter.

Archie already has some environmental credentials, having been selected an an environment councillor at school and being a keen supporter of David Attenborough, and his approach to the planet.

Cllr Janine Bowler said: “Getting 88 posters was phenomenal, especially because they covered different age ranges and schools.

“The quality of the posters was amazing, so it was difficult to choose the winners.”

Dearne Area Team community development officer Marie Sinclair said: “The environmental team educates children in schools, and litter-picks with the schools, week in and week out.”

In one recent litter-pick, pupils at Lacewood School helped to collect around 30 bags of waste, with many expressing surprise at how much rubbish is dropped in their community.

The objective is that a new generation will emerge with a positive and caring attitude to the area where they live, reflecting Barnsley Council’s ‘Love Where You Live’ strategy, to instil pride and a sense of ownership in the neighbourhoods where people live.