Trees planted to celebrate Omagh schools recycling - 11 March 2005
Youngsters at The Green Elves Nursery School, Greencastle have won £400 for their school by collecting Yellow Pages directories in a recycling competition.Over the last 12 weeks, 5,484 pupils at 25 schools across the Omagh area have taken on the Yellow Woods Challenge - the simple, educational and fun schools environmental campaign run by Yellow Pages and the Woodland Trust working with Omagh District Council. The schools have been collecting old Yellow Pages directories for recycling and a total of [NUMBER] tonnes will now be recycled into egg boxes by Huhtamaki.
The Green Elves Nursery School is celebrating its success in winning the local ‘Gold Oak’ title and the top prize money of £300 for collecting 19.74 directories per pupil. Queen Elizabeth II Primary School, Kilskeery receives this year’s ‘Silver Birch’, winning £200, and St Davog’s Primary School, Scraghey receives the ‘Bronze Beech’ title and £100. The Green Elves Nursery School also wins £100 cash for collecting the most Yellow Pages directories in total. All participating schools will automatically be entered into the UK Finals, where they could win a top prize of £2,000 cash.
For every pound awarded to schools in prize money, a matching pound is given to the Woodland Trust to support its new ‘Tree For All’ campaign, which aims to help plant 12 million trees over the next five years. Funds donated by Yellow Pages are enabling thousands of schoolchildren across the UK to plant native saplings in their school grounds and to support tree planting and school visits in the Trust’s woodlands.
As additional support for the Tree For All campaign, Yellow Pages is awarding native tree saplings to the top three winning schools and to Trillick Controlled Primary School, Langfield Primary School, Drumquin and McClintock Primary School, Seskinore for achieving 4th, 5th and 6th place in the local Yellow Woods Challenge. Frances Orr at Omagh District Council also receives tree saplings for organising the local Challenge.
Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, the publisher of Yellow Pages directories, said: “We’re delighted with the results of the Yellow Woods Challenge in Omagh and proud to be helping so many young people understand the importance of caring for the environment and woodland.”
Frances Orr, community environmental officer for the Ulster Wildlife Trust in partnership with Omagh District Council, said: “This has been a fantastic competition and I thank everyone who has supported their local school and helped us protect the environment by keeping thousands of directories out of landfill.”
For further information about the Tree For All campaign, visit www.treeforall.org.uk/yell
