Holywell students excited to be shortlisted for Yr Wyddfa eco competition

A group of environmentally-minded Flintshire high school students are excited to learn that their competition entry, as part of a mission to make Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) the first plastic free mountain in the world, has been shortlisted.

The successful year 7 and 8 Ysgol Treffynnon students Finley, Jessica, Eathan, Kiara, Nikki, and Gethin are members of the school’s recently formed eco council.   When the students heard about the competition inviting young people to submit their ‘Big Ideas’ based on themes related to communication, policy, and innovation as part of COPA1, the inaugural Youth Climate Summit on Yr Wyddfa, they were keen to get involved.

COPA1 is an initiative from the National Park Authority and Keep Wales Tidy and is part of the Plastic Free Yr Wyddfa project, aiming to tackle single-use plastic pollution through the innovative ideas of the next generation.

The six students entered the Creative category which required them to pitch an idea for a creative public information campaign to address the problem of litter on Yr Wyddfa, using a medium of their choice that they believed would reach a large audience and help spread the message of the Plastic Free Yr Wyddfa project. 

After deciding to create a video, the students did their research and set to work on their pitch, developing storyboards and mood boards before working with the school’s talented ICT apprentice, Mr Jone-Airey, to create their video. 

The students feature in the video which begins with them introducing themselves and their message is that people need to make good plastic free choices when hiking and walking.  They propose that a sign saying ‘No Single Use Plastics Allowed’ is displayed and when a ‘single use plastics family’ arrive, they are turned away by the park ranger who points them to the sign, leaving the family devastated that they cannot have their day out.  When they see a ‘reusable bottle family’ entering the park, they decide to go and get reusable bottles and return to the park, they are then allowed in.

The students also want to create a longer video for YouTube telling the whole story of the effects of single use plastics on carbon emissions, litter and wildlife, as well as an Instagram campaign encouraging people to take a selfie with their reusable bottle, hashtag it in English and Welsh ‘No Plastic Yr Wyddfa/Dim Yr Wyddfa Plastig, which they say would go viral and attract influencers to come on board to spread the message even further.

The shortlisted team will attend COPA1 in September, which will be held at the summit of Yr Wyddfa, to pitch their idea to experts in their field. The experts will then tell the students how to turn their ideas into reality during focused incubator sessions. A winning group from each session will be picked and will receive £1,500 prize money to realise their ideas, supported with mentorship from the experts they worked with to deliver their projects.

Finley said: “We wanted to enter the competition to make Yr Wyddfa plastic free. We are very excited to be shortlisted and I am looking forward to the day trip to pitch our idea at COPA1.  I think we have a great idea that really will help to make Yr Wyddfa plastic free. It will be a great experience.”

Helen Franklin, deputy headteacher, has been supporting the students with the project.  She said: “I am so unbelievably proud of the students. From the inception of the idea through the mood boards, the story boards, and the final video the students have worked tirelessly to show how much they care about the environment and about the beautiful Yr Wyddfa. Their creativity and passion for the project shines through the final video and I think they’re all wonderful. We all wish them the best of luck.”

The school’s eco council has eight full time members and there are sub committees for Litter and Waste, Biodiversity and Planting, and Carbon Footprint and Energy; each student takes responsibility for an area which they work on. There are plants at the front of school which the students have planted and tend each day, and they go out at break and lunch times litter picking and reminding other students of the need for recycling.  They also make PowerPoints and videos to raise awareness of various issues they are addressing.

To view the students’ video, go to: Eco Pitch 2nd Draftmp4 (1)