A STROUD District Councillor has completed a year-long campaign to support schools and tackle litter, raising thousands of pounds for environmental projects.
Cllr Gill Thomas (Green, Minchinhampton), Stroud District Council’s member champion for litter and clean environment, launched the Litter Pickers for Little Pickers campaign to provide equipment and resources for primary schools.
Over 12 months, the campaign raised £13,500, enabling the delivery of more than 1,400 litter-picking sticks to 45 schools across the district.
Funding also covered 765 environmental books, teaching resources and an online author session for more than 7,000 pupils.
Cllr Thomas organised four fundraising challenges, combining litter picking with endurance events.
These included running the Stroud Half Marathon, a 26-mile overnight walk on the summer solstice, a 21km canal paddle and clearing laybys along the A38 as part of the Laybys of Love project.
During these events, volunteers collected around 20,000 pieces of litter.
Cllr Thomas said: “The campaign has brought together communities, schools, volunteers, businesses and supporters with one shared goal: creating a cleaner, greener district.
"The project may have come to an end, but my work to promote and strengthen environmental education continues.
"Every school has shown its own unique commitment to getting involved in the project and integrating it into all the fantastic initiatives they’re already doing to embed sustainability throughout the curriculum.
“Now thousands more children can make small acts of kindness towards their environment and become the next generation of environmental champions.”
She said schools had embraced the initiative in different ways, including setting up litter-picking rotas and creating new library sections focused on environmental topics.
At St Rose’s School in Stroud, the equipment will allow pupils with life-limiting conditions to take part in outdoor activities, while other schools have used the resources to support Eco-Schools awards or continue projects despite funding challenges.
Cllr Thomas thanked residents, councils and businesses for their support, saying the campaign had created a lasting legacy.
Although the project has now ended, she said work to promote environmental education and community action will continue across the district.
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