Over 400 youngsters from schools across Carlisle and the Eden Valley have taken part in a unique programme to help inspire the next generation of river champions.
Pupils from Lowther Endowed School worked with Eden Rivers Trust and film-maker Janine Bebbington, of Gorgeous Media, to create a film to be used as a learning resources.
River Champions Act for Eden explores the journey that water takes from source to tap and back again and calls for everyone to take on one of seven river challenges.
As part of their research, children from years three and four went to Haweswater reservoir and years five and six visited a local wastewater (sewage) treatment works where they saw first-hand the scale of the problem of unflushables – a skip full that had been sieved out of sewage water.
It was part of a programme, funded by United Utilities’ Catchment and Strategic Thinking account, called Act for Eden for Life.
Act for Eden for Life combines field visits to explore their local river with thought-provoking classroom activities to understand the threats to river wildlife and the clean water that we use. Pupils are then challenged to identify and make a small change to their everyday life that will use water wisely or reduce pollution to protect nature.
Tania Crockett, Eden Rivers Trust’s learning co-ordinator, said: “This film project has not only given the children involved in making it a wonderful learning experience, it has also inspired their school community to rise to the challenge and take action for our rivers.
“The key messages of reducing pollution by only ever flushing the 3Ps (pee, poo and paper) and simple ways to use water wisely, are delivered by children, for children (and their families), and it really works! They understand why we need rivers to be healthy, and how the little everyday things that we do really can make a big difference if we do it collectively.”.
