Hartlepool youngsters praised for clean-up work

Thoughtful pupils from West View Primary School have today taken it upon themselves to clean-up the Brus Beach.

The pupils are taking part in the Archbishop of York Young Leaders’ Award, which encourages children to “be the change they want to see” and change the world for the better.

School chiefs say Brus beach is a popular place for children and families to play in the summer season, and the pupils wanted to make it a clean and safe environment for people to enjoy.

The pupils got in touch with Hartlepool Borough Council who provided equipment the pupils needed to complete the clean-up, including bringing the refuse collection team to take away the rubbish afterwards.

A spokesman for the school said: “The children’s enthusiasm and passion for helping their local community has been quite inspiring.

“They have developed their leadership skills and have really been able to apply these to planning our Young Leaders’ Challenges.

“They are keen to raise awareness of their project through school assembly, in order to encourage others within school to help improve their local community and have even created a competition to promote engagement.

“We are really proud of the work they have done and I look forward to seeing the positive impact of their work.”

Susan McBride, neighbourhood development officer at Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Working with the children has been an absolute pleasure, they were very clear about their aims and objectives for the project and worked extremely well together to decide how they would achieve their goals.

“Together, we explored how long different types of litter stay around and the effects it can have on the environment and our wildlife.

“Hartlepool Borough Council will continue to support this excellent project.”

Youth Trust have enrolled 328 primary and secondary schools to the Young Leaders’ Awards, empowering 34,600 young people to put leadership into action and make a difference in other people’s lives, through acts of service and community volunteering.

For more information about the awards, visit www.abyyt.com or contact The Archbishop of York Youth Trust on 01904 231010 or email [email protected]