Pupils at a Blackburn primary school have once again been awarded the Eco-Schools’ Green Flag Award with merit.

St Francis CE Primary School headteacher James Kewley said he was “thrilled” with his students’ continued excellent work.

Pupils have once again received international accreditation for their work in promoting sustainability and raising environmental awareness amongst their peers.

The Eco-Schools programme, established in 1994, is now implemented in over 70 countries worldwide. In 2023-24, more than 1.4 million pupils attended an Eco-School in England.

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The programme follows a tried-and-trusted seven-step framework, that encourages young people to explore a variety of environmental issues before spearheading environmental action in their school and local community.

This year pupils built on their achievements by focusing on three key issues: biodiversity, litter and healthy living.

The Eco-Committee then successfully delivered a diverse range of activities including creating an allotment area and growing a range of fruits and vegetables, selling wildflower seed bombs to raise funds for the British Beekeepers Association, and organising a community clean-up event to remove litter from the local area.

Speaking about their achievements, Mr Sutton, said: “It’s an honour to coordinate our school’s Eco-Committee, these young people are passionate about caring for our planet and it’s thanks to their enthusiasm and hard work that we managed to achieve so much this past academic year.”

Mr Kewley added: “I am thrilled that our Eco-Committee have continued the excellent work from the previous year and built upon their achievements. 

“I am very proud of our Eco-Committee for continuing to lead the way and helping us all make better decisions to reduce our impact on the world we live in. Everyone must do a little so we can make a huge difference together.”

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And pupil Eliza, aged 10, also said: “Being in the Eco Committee is important to me because I love making the world better and being part of this group makes me feel like I’m making a difference.”

Eco-Schools England manager Adam Flint said: “The Eco-Schools’ Green Flag is an international benchmark that demonstrates a commitment to fighting climate change and a high standard of sustainable practice.

“Students and staff who earn this award deserve recognition for their dedication toward protecting our planet. Every day, they demonstrate that each of us can contribute to making our planet a better, more sustainable, place.”