A year-long campaign to inspire the next generation of environmental champions has equipped thousands of children across the Stroud district with the tools to help keep their communities clean.
Stroud District Council’s Litter and Clean Environment Champion, Cllr Gill Thomas (Green, Minchinhampton), has completed her Litter Pickers for Little Pickers campaign after raising £13,500 to provide litter-picking equipment and educational resources for primary schools.
Thanks to donations from local businesses, councils and supporters, more than 1,400 litter-picking sticks have been delivered to 45 primary schools across the district.
The funding also provided 765 environmental books, an online reading session with an author and a range of educational resources, benefiting more than 7,000 pupils.
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Over the course of the campaign, Cllr Thomas undertook four fundraising challenges, collecting litter while running the Stroud Half Marathon, walking 26 miles on the summer solstice, paddling 21km along the Stroudwater Canal and clearing lay-bys on the A38 as part of the Laybys of Love project.
Together, volunteers collected around 20,000 pieces of litter during the events.
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.
“I’ve loved having so many conversations with school pupils and staff about protecting the places they love. 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 thousands more small acts of kindness towards their environment and become the next generation of environmental champions.”
She said the campaign had already made a lasting difference, with schools introducing dedicated environmental library sections, pupil-led litter-picking rotas and outdoor learning opportunities.
Some schools have used the equipment to support applications for Eco-Schools awards, while others have filled gaps in resources that budgets could not cover. At St Rose’s School in Stroud, the litter-picking equipment will enable pupils with life-limiting conditions to take part in caring for their environment, while schools affected by flooding or funding pressures have also benefited.
Cllr Thomas thanked everyone who supported the campaign through donations and fundraising, saying their generosity had helped create “a legacy that will continue to inspire children, schools and communities for years to come.”
