Barbour Nursery and Largymore PS pupils join Big Spring Clean

The event was part of the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful campaign that encourages schools and other organisations to clear up waste around their grounds to protect and enhance the environment.

Barbour Nursery School received the coveted Eco Schools Green Flag award twice and recognised for the outstanding contribution that the school makes to the environment and projects involving children and parents.

Barbour Nursery Principal, Tracey Cassells said: “We try very hard each year to teach our pre-school children about the importance of looking after our environment.

“This includes giving them opportunities to grow vegetables and fruit within the school grounds, to recycle waste products and help to pick up litter around our grounds.

“We have an “eco- friendly” garden, wild flower meadow and pond area in our school, where wildlife is encouraged. All our activities help to give the pupils a sense of responsibility for the future of our planet which they will hopefully carry forward throughout their lives.”

During the Big Spring Clean event pupils, staff, parents and helpers collected 12 bags of litter and garden waste within the immediate area of the school in Hillhall.

One parent commented: “it is a fabulous idea to involve such young children in projects such as this; it helps them to learn about why we shouldn’t drop litter, and how dangerous that litter can be for wildlife.

“It is so disappointing to see the amount of rubbish that people throw onto public paths and play areas”.

The Big Spring Clean is Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s flagship volunteering opportunity delivered through Live Here Love Here.

The programme supports local community clean-ups across all 11 council areas in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland’s fastest growing community clean-up volunteering campaign and is open to individuals, schools, community groups and businesses from all communities wishing to rid their streets of litter and discarded rubbish.

Big Spring Clean continues to be a growing campaign. In 2015 it mobilised over 89,506 volunteers to get involved in clean up events across Northern Ireland and around 107 tonnes of litter, equivalent to six double decker buses was taken from the streets, coastal and rural areas.

The Big Spring Clean provides a range of opportunities for volunteers.