EcoSpeak and EcoVision Competitions showcase environmental heroes across Mid Ulster!
Sustainability was the topic of discussion at Mid Ulster District Council’s EcoSpeak environmental public speaking competition on Thursday, 30 April.
The annual public speaking competition, which is open to all P6/7 pupils across the district, focuses on current environmental issues. This year’s event took place at Pomeroy Forest Visitor Centre where artwork from the Council’s EcoVision competition was also on display.
The topic of this year’s EcoSpeak competition was ‘Small Changes, Big Impact. How can I become more sustainable?’. The competition, organised by the Council, saw P6 and P7 pupils from 20 primary schools across Mid Ulster take part.
During the competition, pupils discussed what it means to be sustainable and why it is important, including the impacts our current lifestyles are causing to the planet. Small lifestyle changes can all add up to make a difference, and participants gave many fantastic examples of how they would encourage others to become more sustainable and be more environmentally conscious.
Presentations were delivered by 20 pupils over two heats and judged by representatives from Northern Ireland Resources Network, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council, ASDA and Natural World Products. Representatives from Eco Schools and Sustainable NI, alongside Mid Ulster District Council staff joined the judging panel for the final round of the competition.
Pupils took part from Anahorish PS, Augher Central PS, Aughnacloy PS, Bush PS, Carntall PS, Cookstown PS, Holy Trinity PS Cookstown, New Row St Patrick’s PS Castledawson, Orritor PS, Phoenix Integrated PS Cookstown, St Brigid’s PS Mayogall, Roan St Patrick’s PS Eglish, Sacred Heart PS The Rock, St Macartan’s PS Clogher, St Mary’s PS Aughnacloy, St Mary’s PS Greenlough, St Mary’s PS Draperstown, St Patrick’s PS The Loup, St Patricks PS Glen and St Patrick’s PS Mullinahoe.
Four grand finalists were selected two from each heat, they were; Abby Sawyers Augher Central PS, Mabel Maccombe Carntall PS, Alia Smyth Orritor PS and Cillian McErlean St Mary’s PS Draperstown.
The overall winner of the competition was Abby Sawyers from Augher Central PS who was awarded the EcoSpeak trophy and a £50 voucher. All other finalists each received a £25 voucher with all participants receiving a certificate and a complimentary bag of compost for their school kindly sponsored by Natural World Products, who also provided £500 financial sponsorship towards event costs.
Entries from the Council’s EcoVision competition were also on display at the event. EcoVision is a creative poster competition offering school pupils across the district the opportunity to design eye catching artwork spreading important environmental messages. Entries were received from 24 schools with both a primary and secondary category introduced for this year.
The topic chosen for the Primary category, open to P6 and 7 pupils, was ‘Waste Less, Feed the Future’ and the secondary topic was ‘Don’t Mess Up Mid Ulster. Both topics encouraged participants to use their creativity to explore the impact of food waste and litter, demonstrating how wasted food and litter affect the world around us.
The winning artwork by Jessica O’Neill St Patrick’s PS, Mullinahoe and Emily McKeown Cookstown High School will have their designs featured on a selection of bin lorries across Mid Ulster, with potential options to also include artwork from runners up.
Opening the event, Chair of the Council, Councillor Frances Burton, said:
“I’m delighted to attend this annual event which provided our local school children with a great opportunity to not only research current environmental issues but to also develop their confidence and public speaking skills. It’s fantastic to see such a great turnout from so many primary schools in the district. This year’s topic, ‘Small Changes, Big Impact. How can I become more sustainable?’ is a great and incredibly appropriate one presenting lots of scope for imagination and creativity around how small lifestyle changes can all add up to make a difference. You never know, we might even be able to make some of the innovative ideas suggested a reality for Mid Ulster District Council going forward!
The artwork displayed as part of the EcoVision competition demonstrates fabulous creativity and it’s fantastic to see food waste and anti-litter messaging being highlighted and displayed in such a visual way. We can all look forward to seeing the winning designs displayed on some of our bin lorries over the coming months.”
For more information on the EcoSpeak and EcoVision competitions, and other environmental initiatives, please contact the Council’s Recycling Officers on 03000 132 132 or email recycling@midulstercouncil.org.