Recycled Fashion Parade

West Jesmond Primary School has hosted a Green Day to promote eco-friendly behaviour. Throughout the day, students were involved in various green projects and a recycled fashion parade.

This is all part of the school’s ongoing work to achieve ecoschool green flag status.

The day began with Year Six’s weekly radio show broadcast across the playground, followed by an award ceremony in which Ben Grant, Newcastle City Council “enviro schools” officer, presented the school with bronze and silver Ecoschool awards.

Engaging in activities ranging from pond dipping to learning about healthy eating and composting, different year groups visited some of Jesmond’s largest natural spaces such as the Jesmond Dene Nurseries, Exhibition Park and the Jesmond Community Orchard, as well as the school’s garden and allotment.

The students showcased the costumes they had made with the help of their parents out of plastic bags, cardboard boxes, candy wrappers, bottles, cans and bin bags in a recycled fashion parade.

Community arts co-ordinator Deborah Hainsworth told JesmondLocal that the idea behind the parade was to inspire environmental awareness through a creative and imaginative activity.

“It’s getting the message out there, and it’s about getting the children thinking: starting to think that it’s every day that you have to behave in a more thoughtful way,” said Hainsworth.

Green Day was just a snapshot of the school’s ongoing endeavours to promote eco-friendly behaviour. West Jesmond Primary organises weekly visits to its allotments and gardens and holds regular earth hours, when they use only emergency lighting. It is committed to composting its fruit waste and recycling paper, plastic and clothes. Some of the children have written an ecocode for the school, which is also in the form of a school song.

After the parade, students and their families were invited to enjoy the sunny day in the school courtyard and visit stalls of fair trade goods, fair tradecraft, handmade uniforms and plants.

Listen to our interview with Jenny Wigston, responsible for the plant stall:

Watch our video to see some of the children’s creative outfits: