Children from Grafton Primary School in Holloway took to the streets on Thursday 29 September, picking up litter in the hope that local people will follow their example and think twice about throwing down their sweet wrappers, take-away food cartons and chewing gum.<br><br>Nine-year-olds from the school in Eburne Road armed with black bags joined Islington Council’s A1 Clean Team and rid the streets around their school behind the Nag’s Head shopping centre of rubbish.<br><br>The children reiterated their message to shoppers by making a litter sculpture, displaying it out in the streets to show people just how much they’ve collected in an hour and how unhappy they are about it.<br><br>“While the children of Grafton School are putting their litter to some creative use, they are also giving the community a wider message about helping them transform the local environment. <br><br>It's the sort of example that can have a big impact on a small area and I’m extremely proud of the children for taking the initaitve to tackle this important issue,” said Islington Council’s Executive member for Sustainability Bridget Fox. <br><br>Grafton Headteacher Nitsa Sergides said: “Our school is in the heart of Holloway Road – not only is it depressing when we walk out onto the streets to see the rubbish people have thrown down, but the autumn winds blow it into our playground.<br><br>“The children are questioning this litter – why do people have to throw their rubbish outside our school, or dump rubbish bags which cats tear open and become a smelly health hazard?<br><br>“It’s unfriendly, it creates the wrong impression of our area for people passing through – that we don’t care about it. The children of Grafton school want their living space to reflect how they feel – and by taking ownership of the area, they hope local people will respect this and take responsibility for their own rubbish.<br><br>“We are exceptionally proud of Grafton's children and their sense of caring for their environment. The Keep it Clean Project has helped to highlight the great need to keep our neighbourhood cleaner and safer for our families to enjoy.”<br><br>Alongside the ‘Keep It Clean’ project, Grafton School are involved in the A1 Borough Schools Environmental Project and use the Environmental Toolkit produced by the council which is soon to be issued to all the primary schools and includes lessons on litter and the impact of litter on the environment and the well being of people in a community.<br><br>~ENDS~<br><br>Notes to editors<br>Photo 29:<br>Children from Grafton Primary School with Mayor Jonathan Dearth and the litter sculpture.<br><br>Photo 16:<br>Nathan, Renee and Abyan from Grafton Primary School picking up litter.<br><br><br>The A1 Schools Environmental Project is an ongoing part of Islington Council’s A1 Borough project that aims to dramatically improve the quality of life for everyone who lives works or studies on or close to the A1 in Islington from Angel to Archway over the next 10-15years.<br><br>Funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, it has so far involved 9 local schools with the aim of making pupils, teachers and parents proud of where they live, go to school and play and bring positive effects for the whole community by taking responsibility for their environment. <br><br>The project targets three themes of litter, recycling and anti-social behaviour along the A1 corridor. <br><br>ends
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009