School children create polluted ‘ocean’ at local leisure centre

Children from a school in Measham have plunged into a swimming pool of plastic bottles to help them understand about environmental issues.

Thirty children from St Charles Catholic Primary School collected 1,000 plastic bottles and filled the pool at the Hood Park Leisure Centre in Ashby- De-La-Zouch with them.

It was to give them a sense of what it would be like to swim in polluted waters.

The event was part of a climate change project designed to help children at the school understand the effect of plastic pollution on our seas, with all bottles recollected and recycled after the event.

Adam Knight, general manager at Everyone Active, said: “This inventive, forward-thinking school project was something we were thrilled to be a part of, and seeing so many children engaging with such an important issue for their generation was really extraordinary.

“Having the splash pool full of young swimmers and plastic waste highlighted the importance of reducing single-use plastic and how we as consumers need to work together to make different choices.”

Everyone Active, which runs Hood Park Leisure Centre in partnership with North West Leicestershire District Council, has pledged to become a single-use plastic free provider by 2025. Part of this commitment has involved the company removing single-use plastic overshoes from around pool changing rooms and poolside areas.

Councillor Andrew Woodman, Portfolio Holder for Community Services at North West Leicestershire District Council, added: “Single-use plastic is a worldwide problem and we support any work to educate people and reduce our reliance on it within our communities.

“Our ‘Recycle more…’ project aims to reduce the amount sent to landfill and we’re pleased to see young people working with their schools to raise awareness of this important issue.”