Catrine joins space race

The children of Catrine School, from Mauchline, are celebrating after being recognised in the Better Energy School Awards.

Their entry Eco Rockets was declared runner- up in the totally creative award category for schools in Scotland.

The Better Energy School Awards is a nationwide competition for primary schools, run by the Young People’s Trust for the Environment ( YPTE) and Total.

Nearly 42,000 children submitted entries for the 2019 competition, which aims to generate interest in the environment and sustainable energy.

The children of Catrine Primary created rockets from recycled materials that could be used to transport characters from ‘ The Lego Movie 3’ into space.

The winning rocket was made from 85 per cent recycled materials including plastic cups, cotton wool, feathers, lolly sticks, glitter, glue, tape, pine cones, pipe cleaners and paint. The base was Lego blocks.

The school received a prize of £ 250 for the school funds in recognition of their efforts.

YPTE director Peter Littlewood said: “We have seen a huge number of entries from schools across England, Scotland and Wales this year.

“It is clear that care for our environment is becoming a much greater priority, both for the public and for our schools.

“Awareness of issues like extinction and plastic pollution have featured strongly in projects entered into the Awards this year.

“I suspect that in 2020 we will see an increasing number of entries focusing on climate change.”