Dilton Marsh Primary School has won the Environmental Youth Award, which was presented to the school by the Duchess of Cornwall at the Royal Bath & West Show on Wednesday 28th May.
Each county finalist, from Bristol, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, was presented with a trophy, a certificate and a cheque to the value of £250. Dilton Marsh Primary School was then surprised to hear that they were voted overall winners, and the school also received the regional trophy, along with an additional £250 to support their project.
Dilton Marsh Primary has developed a whole school environmental awareness ethos that ensures sustainability, recycling and care for the environment is central to daily school life for every child.
Headteacher Judith Finney said, “We are so thrilled. It was just such a surprise. We went to the Royal Bath & West Show just expecting to collect our regional prize and then the Duchess of Cornwall was handed an envelope and announced that we were the four counties winner. We were given a lovely bronze bird and an environmental plaque, and the Duchess of Cornwall was delightful.
“This is the culmination of 15 years of environmental work which we carry out all the time. We always discuss with the children about what environmental projects they would like to do next and so we will talk to them about what to use the £500 award money for.”
The Environmental Youth Award committee said it was honoured that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall came to present the prizes to the winners. The Duchess said that conservation and the protection of the natural environment was of paramount importance for this, and subsequent generations.
Brigadier John Hemsley, chairman of the Environmental Youth Award committee said, “We are delighted with the results of this year’s competition which have emphasised the quality and commitment of the youth groups to their projects. All the children were very enthusiastic and committed to what they were doing. As usual great deal of interest has been shown and standards were extremely high.”
The other highly commended county finalists were Headley Park Primary School, Bristol; Bridport County Primary School, Bridport, Dorset; West Buckland Primary School, Taunton in Somerset; and Monkton Combe School, Monkton Combe, Bath.
The award was sponsored by HSBC. Laura Pincock from HSBC commented, “HSBC has been a proud sponsor of the Environmental Youth Awards since 1999. HSBC seek to open doors of opportunity for young people and the projects supported by the Environmental Youth Awards contribute to a positive attitude towards environmental education and understanding the environment.”
Applications are already being received for the award in 2015. If your school or youth group is interested in applying please contact the committee on info@environmentalyouthaward.org.
