Over 90 students showed their creativity and ingenuity by displaying a total of 16 sustainability projects as part of a social action challenge organised by Wolves Foundation.
The challenge, delivered by Wolves Foundation as part of the Premier League Primary Stars programme, produced plenty of fantastic projects about recycling and protecting the environment alongside a great morning spent at Molineux.
At the end of weeks of work and a ‘Dragons Den’ style finale, it was St Mary’s CE Primary School from Albrighton crowned the winners by a judging panel, although every single entry was highlighted for its quality and creativity.
“Our social action challenge is one of the annual highlights of the Premier League Primary Stars programme, and always brings out some fantastic ideas from the different schools involved,” said Richard Lewis, Schools Manager with Wolves Foundation.
“For the six weeks leading up to Christmas, we deliver the challenge in the different schools, this time asking them to come up with a project which will help tackle air pollution around their school, in the local community or around Molineux.
“Two groups from each school then made it through to represent their respective group projects in the ‘Dragons Den’ style final, against all the other schools.
“We welcomed everyone to Molineux for a really fulfilling morning of different activities along with each group presenting their project to help improve sustainability.
“Each of the 16 projects presented had been carefully planned and put together their project, and were a credit to all the pupils and staff who took part.”
As well as the challenge itself, the morning also included a workshop and Q&A panel with Foundation Head of Programmes for Health Improvement & Community Sport Rachel Smith, Schools Officer Alix O’Donnell and Assistant Head at Woden Primary, Lindsay Godfrey.
The schools taking part comprised St Mary’s, Berrybrook Primary, Bushbury Hill Primary, Rakegate Primary, SS Peter and Pauls Catholic Primary Academy, Woden Primary and Warstones Primary.
As mentioned all produced some fantastic projects but the judges decided that the honours should go to St Mary’s, whose headteacher Natalie Milhavy-Jones was full of praise for the sustainability initiative.
“This is the second year we have taken part and it’s such a worthwhile project,“ said Mrs Milhavy-Jones.
“It offers a different dimension which we can’t always bring to the school curriculum, and in a real life context as well.
“The children have been positively engaged by spending a lot of their breaktimes and playtimes preparing, and it’s been a lovely opportunity for them to work together and then come and present with other schools.
“We link up a lot with Wolves Foundation not just with sporting activities but also this social action, which is really important as part of our ethos as a church school as well.
“So, the work of the Foundation really supports what we would like for our children.”
Premier League Primary Stars is a wide-ranging programme which uses the appeal of football to inspire children aged from five to 11 to be active and develop essential skills.
Thanks to funding from the Premier League and Premier League Foundation partners, the programme, which supports children in the classroom, playground and on the school field, has been delivered in more than 19,000 schools across the country over the last nine years.
