School pupils from across Hampshire, Sussex and Kent left MPs impressed after telling them about their innovative ideas for saving water.
The youngsters got the chance to brief their local Member of Parliament when the politicians presented them with prize money totalling £20,000 from the 2011 Water Design Challenge.
The visits took place during September 2011, with Henry Smith MP visiting Thomas Bennett Community College in Crawley; John Denham MP visiting Sholing Technology College in Southampton and Mark Reckless MP presenting Fort Pitt Grammar School and Thomas Aveling School, both in Medway, with their prize money.
The challenge was an award-winning scheme run by Southern Water and the Design Council to inspire youngsters to cut their water-use and carbon footprint, all with a helping hand from professional designers and water industry experts. Ten schools took part in the 2011 event and the five shortlisted entries shared the prize fund.
Fort Pitt Grammar School from Chatham beat off nine other schools from across the South East to take top honours with a design which would reduce the amount of water used in the school’s toilets by a third, saving around £5,000 on their annual water bill. Click here for details of the winning entry.
Midhurst Rother College has close links with the Kibomet Secondary School in Kitale in Kenya. During a recent visit to the UK, Kibomet’s Principal, Emmanuel Okutoyi Mukoya, presented youngsters from the college with their prize money.
Pupils from Sholing Technology College, in Southampton, were highly commended for an innovative range of domestic products urging people to save water, money and energy. Click here to read more about their scheme.
Thomas Bennett Community College, from Crawley; Midhurst Rother College, from Midhurst; and Thomas Aveling School, from Rochester, were named joint runners up.
The ten schools which took part in the challenge were:
| Kent: | Fort Pitt Grammar School, Rochester Grammar School, Thomas Aveling School | |
| Sussex: | Millais School, Horsham; Thomas Bennett Community College, Crawley; Midhurst Rother School, Midhurst | |
| Southampton: | Bitterne Park School, Oasis Academy, St Anne's Catholic School, Sholing Technology College |
For more information on the challenge, please visit www.designcouncil.org.uk/waterdesignchallenge or contact us at wdc@southernwater.co.uk
