EK pupil helps to tackle litter problem

An East Kilbride primary school pupil with designs on ending the blight of littering came out as a runner-up in a poster design competition.

Aaron McCormack, P7, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School won a certificate of merit and a £25 prize in the first-ever Litter Awareness and Prevention Poster Competition run by South Lanarkshire Council.

The overall winner was Sophia McLachlan of Rutherglen’s St

Anthony’s Primary.

Other runners-up were Finn Canning, P6, Bothwell Primary School and Amy Ferguson, P6, High Mill Primary School, Carluke.

The competition was inspired by the message of last year’s COP26 and led by the council’s Grounds Services team and the authority’s Youth Forum on Climate Change and Sustainability, who also had the difficult job of choosing the winners.

All P4-P7 children in South Lanarkshire primary schools were invited to submit their poster designs with the brief of highlighting litter awareness and prevention or of changing behaviour on littering.

David Booth, executive director of community and enterprise resources at the council said: “COP26 in Glasgow inspired so many of us to focus on the need to act now – and to do so together – to make a difference to protect our planet.

“Young people, in particular, have stepped up and spoken up as one voice, and it’s a voice we all need to hear.

“I am grateful to our Youth Forum, who worked closely with council staff to devise and organise this competition.

“The quality of entries was very impressive and showed us that our youngest citizens are alert to, and aware of, the actions we can all take to make a difference.

“Congratulations to Sophia and our runners-up as well as all who took part.”