Stow pupils prove to be an energetic bunch

Fourteen children from Stow Primary School from Stow, near Galashiels joined three other Regional Champions at the National Awards Ceremony of the Better Energy School Awards, held today at London Zoo. All of the Regional Champions were presented with a trophy and a cheque for £1,000 to put towards their school funds by YPTE Presidents TV and radio presenter and childrens author Dermot OLeary, childrens author Andy Stanton and wildlife cameraman and presenter Adrian Cale, together with The Durrells cast members Callum Woodhouse and Daisy Waterstone.

Their projects, ‘Plastic Rap’ and ‘Reece the Recycled Cow from Stow’, not only took top spot in the ‘totally creative’ category for schools north of the border, but were also declared best in all categories from the entire country, earning the Scottish champions title.

Fourteen children from the school joined three other regional champion schools at the national awards ceremony held at London Zoo, pictured.

All of the regional champions were presented with a trophy and £1,000 cheque to put towards their school funds by YPTE (Young People’s Trust for the Environment) presidents TV/radio presenter and children’s author Dermot O’Leary, children’s author Andy Stanton and wildlife cameraman and presenter Adrian Cale, together with The Durrells cast members Callum Woodhouse and Daisy Waterstone.

The awards is a competition for five to 11-year-olds, run by YPTE in partnership with energy giant Total. It aims to generate interest in the environment and raise awareness of the need for sustainable energy sources, and has received entries from over 340,000 children since it began in 2007.

Stow’s ‘Plastic Rap’ was inspired by learning about the damage plastic waste is causing to marine life. A group of five-year-olds from the school worked for three weeks on creating ‘Reece the Recycled Cow from Stow’, using a range of recycled materials to create a life-sized statue of a cow.