Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel has won the Keep Britain Tidy Diamond Jubilee Award.
The prestigious award celebrates outstanding individuals, groups or organisations who have set up projects to help improve the environment.
The school won the award for their work throughout the year such as their ‘grow your own clothes project’
Teacher Lesley Sleight said of the projects which had helped the school win the award: ‘That was our biggest last year. The students had grown material from tea, sugar and kombucha. The idea was to highlight the eco-issues around fashion. They were experimenting on material – with allergy, fire and stretch tests.
‘They are now looking at how to waterproof it. The students have also been recycling old t-shirts into scarves, bracelets and cat and dog toys.
‘We are also redoing the bike shed roof with food cans recycled from school canteen.’
The school’s eco-committee also won the Eco-Committee of the Year Award at the awards ceremony held in Liverpool.
Mrs Sleight said: ‘The eco-committee has raised money to improve the school, helped in the local community, raised awareness of environmental issues and inspired others.
‘Pupils developed the ideas and managed many of the projects themselves, without staff help.
‘When funding was needed for the projects, the students raised money, sought sponsorship and borrowed equipment to turn their ideas into reality.’
Queen Elizabeth II High School was one of 11 winners whose achievements were recognised at the ceremony, in the presence of UK Environment Minister Dan Rogerson MP and Keep Britain Tidy’s ambassador, TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp.
The awards celebrated the contributions that Keep Britain Tidy’s partners and supporters have made to the local and global environment.
Phil Barton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: ‘It’s a fantastic achievement that the school has undertaken so many projects that they have developed themselves.’