TWO pupils are celebrating having won more than £200 for their school, just by getting creative with rubbish.

Year 5 and 6 pupils at Whitby Heath Primary School in Wyedale, Ellesmere Port, were invited to enter an art competition organised by JDP, a stockist of civil and drainage products for the building industry, which has a local branch in Ellesmere Port.

The Four Seasons competition which focused on the theme of waste and recycling, tasked the children to create a landscape collage of one of the four seasons out of recyclable materials.

The winter-themed collage which 10-year-old Rebekah Morris and Kasi-Lei Jenkins submitted was judged to be one of the best fitting the brief given and was chosen as the runner-up in the Northern regional heat of the competition.

John Upton, regional manager of JDP, said: “It’s been wonderful to see the variety and creativity of the children in their use of household products and recyclable materials to create a collage which depicts one of our seasons, winter, spring, summer or autumn, and Rebekah and Kasi-Lei’s in particular stood out for its artistic flair.

“We are seeing the specification and use of recycled and sustainable products more and more in our industry, and it is heartening to see such high levels of awareness about recycling, reducing and reuse in children of this age too.

“Our research for the competition showed that up to 60% of the rubbish which ends up in the dustbin could be recycled and so the commitment of schools in raising awareness of recycling, either through the Eco-Schools programme, or individually, is commendable. JDP aims to continue to educate pupils and schools on sustainability matters and is already looking at a new competition for 2014.”

Gill Morris, of Whitby Heath Primary School, said: “The JDP competition is one way we can introduce the environmental topic into the National Curriculum and, in doing so, help to develop a creative learning environment for all pupils involved.”

She added: “Practical, real-life activities such as collage-making have the potential to develop thinking skills, and can show how their attitudes towards recycling can create a more sustainable way of life.

“The children were really engaged and enjoyed working on the topic. We are really proud of Rebekah and Kasi-Lei and their winning collage.”