He first teamed up with the Wombles, now the litter crusade has ensured that author and President of the CPRE [1], Bill Bryson, is standing up for another shy country creature, the modest hedgehog.

CPRE and The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) [2] have produced a new creative education pack for schools [3] revealing how litter can easily hurt or even kill wildlife, and putting into sharp focus the wider damage litter has on our environment.

The national launch of the pack will take place at Derry Hill Primary School, Calne on Thursday 20 November at 1.30pm – journalists are invited to attend. This will be a colourful and high energy afternoon - see note for editors 4.

School children at Derry Hill Primary School, near Calne in Wiltshire, will host the national launch of the new resource for schools - How to Run a Whole School Litter Campaign - on Thursday 20 November [4]. The resource pack does contain shocking facts and powerful photographs, including posters that show wildlife injured by carelessly dropped rubbish, as well as highlighting other environmental damage caused by litter, while offering solutions to the problem through lesson plans, group activities and competitions.

Bill Bryson, President of CPRE, commented:

‘I’m thrilled about the new educational pack because it’s a fantastic way of encouraging children to think about how litter affects their world and the things that are important to them, like wildlife and the spaces where they play and grow up.  Schools can have a role in helping children and young people understand the litter problem and what actions we can all take to help solve it. We really need their help in getting the message across.’

Nicola Smith, the WWT environment and waste education team leader said:

‘This is a fun, and exciting pack, designed to help children find out
what problems litter causes in the world, what they can do about it,
and how they can let other people know and take action.  Litter is
a form of pollution, which can have devastating effects on both wildlife and marine life.’

The event launch will involve schoolchildren from all year groups in some lively performances. Years 4 and 5 (ages 8 to 10) will act out a version of the litter pack’s storybook ‘King Wastealot’s Picnic’, wearing colourful and imaginative costumes made entirely from waste materials gathered from the local Scrap store. Year 3 (ages 7 to 8) will play musical instruments made from waste materials to accompany a song they have written about living in a more sustainable way.

The School’s Eco-Committee – formed by pupils from all year groups (ages 4 to 11) – will give a presentation on the environmental work carried out at their school. The younger pupils will decorate the main hall with litter and other waste materials.

In the resource Foreword, Dr Jake Reynolds, Senior Sustainable Development Advisor for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, states:

‘Schools have the potential to develop positive, sustainable habits among children that can last a lifetime, and be valuable from the day that they become habit.

‘A litter-free school (and of course litter-free routes to school) is a good indicator of a school’s commitment to caring for the environment, which is an important value of sustainable development.’

– END –

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is one of the UK’s leading nature conservation charities and has 20,000 members and supporters and more than a thousand volunteers all working to conserve the Wiltshire countryside and the rich variety of plants and animals that live there.

3. Copies of How to Run a Whole School Litter Campaign are downloadable from CPRE’s media centre: www.cpre.org.uk/news/media-centre

4. The national launch of How to Run a Whole School Litter Campaign will take place at Derry Hill Primary School, Church Road, Derry Hill, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 9NN on Thursday 20 November at 1.30pm. During the afternoon Years 4 and 5 will perform a play version of King Wastealot’s Picnic from the pack wearing costumes made entirely from materials from the local scrapstore.  Year 3 will be providing musical entertainment and the school Eco committee will be telling us about the environmental activities being carried out at their school.  Year 6 pupils will offer guests a tour of the school, and all the younger classes will decorate the hall using litter and waste materials. For further information about the afternoon please contact Nicola Smith, WWT, Education Team Leader, Environmental Learning on 01380 725670 (ext 247).