Pupils clean up in litter-picking challenge

Litter pickers Alex O'Donnell, Charlotte Smith, Luke Elliott and Isobel Emery at East Boldon Junior School.

Schoolchildren descended on litter-strewn streets as part of a national clean-up initiative.

The pupils from East Boldon Primary School, in North Lane, took time out of their weekend to clean up streets in the village which have been blighted by litter.

About 18 youngsters and their parents collected 16 bags of rubbish from North Lane and surrounding areas in just two hours.

The group took to the streets from 10am to noon on a Saturday – including Year 5 pupils Luke Elliot and Charlotte Smith.

Year 3 teacher Alison McCann said the day was a huge success. She said: “We managed to collect 16 bags of rubbish, so we are really pleased.

“The initiative was ‘Clean for the Queen’ in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy.

“The children got involved to try and come up with ideas to promote it and decided where we should go to clean.

“Then we had eight children and their parents out on the day to clean North Lane and the paddocks and pastures around it.

“Unfortunately, there is still tons of rubbish left.

“We could have spent hours doing it.

“We might do it again, but it would be nice if we could get more people to participate.”

The school has an eco-committee and is regularly involved in cleaning up the school grounds. The group used litter pickers to pick up the rubbish and found a lot of dog waste just thrown away among the litter.

Ms McCann added: “The children enjoyed the day and it was really educational for them.”

Clean for The Queen is a campaign to clear up Britain in time for Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday, which will be officially celebrated in June.

The campaign is calling on individuals, volunteer groups, local councils, businesses and schools to do their bit to show their gratitude to Her Majesty.

For more information, visit the Clean for The Queen website.