Pupils earn £650 reward for helping the environment

A SCHOOL in Wargrave has received £650 from an environmental rewards scheme.

Robert Piggott Infant School was presented with the money by the GreenRedeem’s green schools programme in which parents collect points through eco-friendly activities such as recycling, saving water and leading a greener lifestyle and then donate these to their children’s school.

The money has been used to buy a scooter and bike pod and plants for the school in Beverley Gardens. Headteacher Elaine Hughes said: “We are delighted. Not only does the scheme support our desire to be ecologically aware and eco-friendly but it also generates a lot of excitement as we log on to see how we are getting on in comparison to the competition!

“We wanted to spend the reward on initiatives that encouraged our eco-friendly focus, so we have treated ourselves to a new scooter and bike pod to keep the children’s belongings safe after they have made their way to school without a car. We have also bought plants which the children have nurtured and planted in our new planters. They are now looking forward to seeing them flourish.

“The children will be debating what other projects to spend the remainder of the money on and our Eco Warriors Team will be facilitating this discussion.

“All in all, it has been a great initiative and we look forward to entering again next year.” The Greenredeem scheme also encourages residents of Wokingham borough to recycle by rewarding them with points. These can be redeemed in a variety of shops, used to enter a monthly prize draw or donated to charities and local schools.

The infant school received the most points over the past year with residents donating 164,538 to the school. This was converted into a prize of £657.52 by Greenredeem.