PENDLE schoolchildren will be commended for their hard work on environmental and community issues with the first annual Our Place: Our Pendle awards ceremony this week.

The awards are to be presented to children at the event tomorrow at Colne Municipal Hall.

The winner will get European wide recognition from the Environmental Campaigns Charity (ENCAMS) in the form of an Eco-School Award. The top three schools will also enjoy a field trip relevant to their project.

Jane Wright from Pendle Council said: "These awards are unusual because they give schools the opportunity to help implement the Our Place: Our Pendle Vision. This vision is about creating a better Pendle in the 21st Century and was developed in consultation with 3,000 people in the Borough in the year 2000."

The awards scheme encompasses four categories: Building Communities - identifying local concerns, and developing pride of place, Acting Locally - taking action in the community and helping others, Protecting Pendle - environmental work involving wildlife conservation, recycling and energy efficiency and Thinking Globally - looking at global concerns which include Fairtrade and renewable energy.

Our Place: Our Pendle is the council's response to the issue of Local Agenda 21, which came from the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio. The summit recognised that in order to bring about sustainable development, issues must be tackled at a local level.

Coun John David, portfolio holder for the environment, said: "Our Place: Our Pendle school awards value young people and reward them for good citizenship. It is hoped that the scheme will raise their self-esteem and increase pride in the community.

He added: "Once again, Jane Wright and Pendle Council have shown imagination and initiative by being the only borough in the country to have a scheme like this which allows schools to play a part in improving so many of the aspects of life that really matter."

The awards were judged by representatives from Lancashire County Council's educational advisors, Groundwork, the Environment Agency and Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

The awards will be attended by the school children who took part in the projects, their teachers and headteachers.

The event will be hosted by local personality George Critchley, with the awards presented by deputy mayor Coun Dorothy Lord.

The children will also take part in a play performed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

The awards are open to all schools throughout Pendle and schools can enter from now until April 2004. For more information contact Jane Wright or Helen Blyth on 01282 661988.