RHS Britain in Bloom School Award - St Bede’s Catholic School, Lytham
The RHS Britain in Bloom School Award is presented to the school within a finalist community that demonstrates the best commitment to on-going environmental and horticultural initiatives, and St Bede’s Catholic High School in Lytham certainly have done that!
St Bede’s School aims to be the first carbon neutral school in England. They were the only school in the country to get to the finals of The Big Green Challenge 2008 and were awarded the Times Educational Supplement Outstanding Sustainable School of the Year.
What are they doing?
The students at St Bede’s have held numerous fundraisers, from dance-offs to fashion shows, which have helped to fund refurbishments to the school’s energy efficient building. The students also have numerous green clubs, including an allotment group, which grows produce used in the school’s kitchens, as well as an eco-friendly shop, recycling initiatives and energy-saving schemes.
What is the impact?
Huge CO2 savings, an environmentally aware community, and empowered and confident kids! The families of children at the school together pledged to save 687 tonnes of CO2 in only one month. The 11-16 year olds that took part in the project agreed that their green initiatives had helped them to develop new skills on top of their studies, and to make new friends.
Visiting RHS Britain in Bloom judge, Sue Wood, says, “St Bede’s continues to set a superb example of how a school and the wider community can come together to not only improve living standards, but also really make an astounding environmental impact.”