Dedicated young pupils have organised a series of litter picks around their community as part of the Don’t Mess With Croydon – Take Pride campaign.
Pupils from Greenvale Primary School in Selsdon organised litter picks at the school as well as Selsdon Recreation Ground and Selsdon Wood.
The 84 pupils collected 15 bags of litter and five bags of recycling with the help of Croydon Council on Thursday 9 May.
Council officers helped organise and run the litter picks including bringing tools and collecting the waste at the end.
A full list of litter picks organised by the borough’s 364 Street Champions is available online.
“Anyone can get involved in our Street Champions’ litter picks or volunteer to become a champion and organise their own.
“It’s inspiring to see some of the borough’s young people taking the initiative and leading from the front but looking after our natural environment is everyone’s responsibility.
“If anyone wants to become a Street Champion or find out more about upcoming Don’t Mess With Croydon – Take Pride events then they should go online.”
Councillor Stuart Collins, deputy leader – Clean Green Croydon
Dan Bowden, head teacher at Greenvale Primary School, said: “We recently had a member of the ‘Don’t Mess with Croydon’ team come and deliver an assembly about recycling.
“The children were only too keen to be involved in a litter pick of the local area with some pupils even trying to rearrange music lessons in order to take part.
“We believe that by discussing these important matters with our pupils, we are creating a generation who will go on to look after and respect the world in which we live.”
Email champions@croydon.gov.uk to find out more about the schemes or how to become a Street Champion.
