PUPILS from primary schools across Royton, Shaw and Crompton are supporting Oldham Council’s Don’t Trash Oldham campaign and have joined in the fight against litter and waste.
As part of ongoing environmental projects, children from St Paul’s, Saint Aidan and Oswald’s, Royton Hall, Buckstones, Beal Vale and Rushcroft cleaned up the grounds and the areas around the schools. They have also given Royton Park the once over.
Hilary Henderson, Headteacher at St Paul’s Primary, said: “I felt it was important for our year 6 children to work together across the community in different primary schools to take an ownership and leadership in making decisions to improve the community.
“I contacted all the local schools who I thought would be interested in participating in this community project and we discussed how we would like to improve the Royton, Shaw and Crompton areas.
“I am delighted at how our young children have taken responsibility collectively to want to improve our community and make a difference.
“We’re also blown away with the confidence in which the pupils felt they could speak and discuss their ideas, whilst being respectful of each other’s suggestions.”
Oldham Council supports community litter picks and loans out equipment. They can remove bagged litter after an organised group litter pick if dates and times are agreed in advance.
Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “Making sure our streets and open spaces are clean is a priority for the council, which is why we launched our Don’t Trash Oldham campaign.
“So, it’s great to see so many young people, and the staff, getting stuck in and clearing up the area.
“If everyone disposed of their waste properly then these students wouldn’t have to carry out litter picks like this.
“It’s a shame a small minority think it’s fine to drop litter and waste. It makes the borough look dirty, and no one wants to see that.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to all the schools involved. It would be great if more people followed the example set by these young people and showed pride in their home town, rather than expecting others to clean up after them.”
More information about how you can get involved can be found at www.oldham.gov.uk/DontTrashOldham
To report litter visit: www.oldham.gov.uk/litter or flytipping: www.oldham.gov.uk/flytipping