Community Action Day at CS Lewis Square

On Thursday 20th June all members of 8E, along with their form teacher Miss Knox and fellow teacher Mr Winters, took part in a litter pick in CS Lewis Square as part of an initiative run by Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) who had invited pupils to organise and take part in a Community Action Day. 8E expressed an interest in organising a litter-pick as this would be a way of helping to prepare for the Friends of Grosvenor Sponsored Walk, which was due to take place the following day.

YRE is an organisation that arranges events, creates competitions and provides grants for young people aged 11-25, who care about the environment and want to raise awareness about environmental issues through photography or journalism. The day proved to be a tremendous success as the class walked along the Connswater Greenway to CS Lewis Square, where they were greeted by a member of the Belfast City Council who gave them a health and safety talk and talked to them about typical problems or concerns, in relation to litter, in the area. Following this, the pupils got to work using litter pickers to collect any litter, disposing of it in black bin bags and using wipes to clean the handrails and park benches.

What was most surprising was the sheer amount of litter collected. In just 3/4 hour pupils, who worked in pairs, managed to fill almost 8 bin bags full of litter! A big thank you must go to Belfast City Council, which took the time to spend the afternoon with our pupils, to YRE who encouraged everyone to get involved, and last but not least, to the pupils, who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty in doing their bit for the environment!

Many thanks to Miss Knox and Mr Winters for accompanying our pupils throughout the day, as well as to YRE for making the opportunity available to them.