Youngsters in Lanarkshire are celebrating after their winning entries to a litter art competition were shown at an exhibition at Glasgow Science Centre.
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful launched its Upstream Battle campaign in response to the huge public and political concern around marine litter.
And as part of their work to tackle the issue, they ran a competition this year open to early years, primary and special needs establishment schools.
Scooping first place, with a prize of a £100 voucher to be spent on sustainable art materials, was Bardykes Farm Nursery School in Blantyre.
Children came up with the concept of #StartEcoBricking, to show that ‘what we save, saves us’.
They created a live stage area in the nursery’s outdoor space, using eco bricks made from recycled plastic bottles stuffed with soft plastic (like empty crisp packets) and other things collected during local litter picks.
In second place was Hamilton School for the Deaf. Pupils from Primary 5, 6 and 7 created art showing two scenarios, one with our seas filled with healthy wildlife and ecosystems, and the alternative - if we allow litter to enter the seas - with wildlife struggling to survive in water filled with littered plastic and marine waste.
Instead of plastic-based paint, which means artwork can’t be recycled, the children used homemade marble prints made from waste ink and old crayons, layering them with waste and recycled cardboard and foil shaped into fish.
The creative entries were displayed at The Bothy community space in Glasgow Science Centre on June 15. And the winners were judged by ocean adventurer Elaine Hopley, Keep Scotland Beautiful CEO Barry Fisher, and Carol McArdle from the West Partnership Regional Improvement Collaborative.
Over the last three years the campaign has supported communities to raise awareness, gather evidence and inspire action in Glasgow and the Clyde Valley.
Schools from across the West Partnership area competed - Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire.
The children’s artwork – in a range of mediums from models and photography, to video and poetry – was based on their exploration of the source to sea pathway of marine litter and how this was reflected in their own communities.
Christie Cairns, Early Years Practitioner at Bardykes Farm Nursery School, said: “Thank you for this fabulous opportunity to put all of our eco school knowledge into practice.
"The children and I had a great time putting the video together and making our artwork.”
Barry Fisher, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful said: “This exciting project was an ideal opportunity for pupils to engage in learning outside the classroom.
"I enjoyed judging the entries, which told the story of marine litter in imaginative and creative ways, representing hope as well as the huge scale of the problem. The use of different materials and artistic techniques to meet the brief is well thought out and the result speaks for itself."
He added: “A big well done to all the children who took part in the competition - congratulations to the winners and those who were highly commended."
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