About 80 primary school pupils took part in the Children’s Parliament
It is not just H&F Council that wants the borough to be the greenest in the country. Pupils from 10 local primary schools spoke eloquently about protecting the environment in a series of speeches this week.
About 80 primary school pupils took part in the Children’s Parliament on the Environment, funded by Hammersmith & Fulham Council, on Monday (20 March) at Hammersmith Town Hall.
Two elected speakers from each school made presentations on a range of topics including plastic packaging, protecting wildlife, and food waste at the event before everyone took part in a question and answer session.
See all the pictures from the day on our Flickr photo gallery
“I was really impressed by the passion shown by all the young people taking part,” said Cllr Sue Fennimore, H&F Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, who chaired the event.
“It was a great opportunity for children to build their confidence while learning about the environment, how it needs to be protected and how we can make H&F greener.”
The 10 and 11-year-olds researched their topics with the help of Hammersmith & Fulham Urban Studies Centre. They arranged for pupils to meet relevant council officers, residents and community groups, as well as environmental organisations. The centre is a charity which provides hands-on learning outside the classroom about the environment and local area. From April, it will be changing its name to Urbanwise.London.
Judges scrutinised the children’s efforts before prizes were awarded for the most impressive work in three categories: The Presentation Skills award went to John Betts Primary School in Hammersmith, The Research Award went to Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School in White City, and the Environmental Action Award went to All Saints CofE Primary School in Fulham.
A fourth award was judged by the children themselves - the Children’s Special Award went to Queen’s Manor Primary School in Fulham.
All winners received framed certificates and a book for their school.
The other schools taking part from H&F were Fulham Primary School and St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School in Fulham, as well as St John XXIII Catholic Primary School in White City.
They were joined by Ashburnham Community School, Park Walk Primary School and Bevington Primary School from Kensington and Chelsea.
The judges were Simon Clarke of the Thames Explorer Trust, Jan Parnell of the Urban Studies Centre and Terry Oliver, Kensington and Chelsea Council’s head of greener living.
