School is top of the recyclers (From Barry And District News)

School is top of the recyclers

A VALE of Glamorgan school has scooped a 1000 prize in a national recycling competition organised by Yellow Pages.

St Helen's RC Junior School in Tynewydd Road, Barry, came second out of 500 schools of a similar size that took part in the Yellow Woods Challenge, co-ordinated locally by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

The challenge is a simple competition that asks schools to collect out-of-date copies of the Yellow Pages for recycling, and those who collect the most win cash prizes.

For every pound handed out in prizes, Yellow Pages donates a pound to the Woodland Trust to help it protect native woodland.

At St Helen's School, pupils managed to collect a massive 2,024 copies of the Yellow Pages and were beaten by only one other school in the whole of the UK.

Staff and pupils were invited to a special presentation at Longleat Safari Park to receive their cheque for 1000. On their return to Barry, the children received a visit from the Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cllr Emlyn Williams, who dropped into the school to congratulate pupils on their hard work.

He was accompanied by Miles Punter, Head of Visible Services for the Council, and Yellow Woods Challenge mascot Kirk.

The school was presented with an extra prize from the Council in recognition of its efforts - a planter with compost and bulbs donated by Penllyn Estates.

Cllr Williams said: "I am very proud of all the children at St Helen's School who worked so hard to collect directories. Every single child who collected copies of the Yellow Pages has done their bit towards saving our environment."

The next Yellow Woods Challenge will begin in mid-December and will again be co-ordinated locally by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.