Schools’ campaign launch to ‘Keep the Sea Plastic Free’

Two young designers from a Leicester school have helped launch a new campaign to raise awareness of the impact of litter on the environment.

Further information

Muhammad (4) and Thomas (5) from Overdale Infant School, in Knighton, were the winners of a schools’ competition to design promotional materials for the ‘Sea Starts Here’ campaign.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the impact that plastic waste can have on the wider environment if it is not disposed of correctly. Plastics dropped as litter can end up in our rivers and oceans causing pollution and harm to wildlife, as well as contributing to increased flood risk in rivers and brooks.

Muhammad and Thomas’s winning designs combine images of sea creatures with their hard-hitting slogans ‘Only Rain Down the Drain’ and ‘Keep the Sea Plastic Free’. The designs have been turned into stencils that will be used to spray the message around drains close to schools across the city.

The winning designers were also on-hand to supervise the first stencilling of drains in their school grounds.

Hayley Holmes, headteacher at Overdale Infants School, said: “Teaching our children to take care of their environment is really important to us. We have an active Eco Club who promote an environmentally friendly approach.

“The ‘Sea Starts Here’ event has helped the children understand the impact of plastic waste and the need to recycle. They were very enthusiastic about the competition and it gave the school a platform to enhance our eco message to the wider school community.

“We are very proud of all children who entered the competition and are thrilled with Thomas and Mohammad’s winning designs.”

It is hoped that the Sea Starts Here campaign will be supported by up to 20 schools in its first year, as part of the city’s successful Eco-Schools programme.

Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transport, said: “Our Eco-schools programme is working with thousands of children at schools across the city to raise awareness of important environmental issues like biodiversity, energy, litter and waste.

“It challenges students to see what improvements they could make to their schools and grounds to help improve its green credentials. These might seem like small-scale projects, but they can have a big reach and a big impact.

“The Sea Starts Here is a good example of this. The powerful message of the winning designs is hard to ignore, and I was very impressed by how the young designers and the wider school community have got to grips with this important issue.”