Business Meeting and presentation on Eco Greenhouse

MORPETH ROTARY SCHOOL ECO-GREENHOUSE FROM WASTE

Morpeth Rotary is taking part in a Rotary regional partnership project with education and local business. It will recycle plastic waste while providing resources and a creative learning experience for local pupils. Charlotte Jones, Co-ordinator of Creative Art Work for children at Newminster and Chantry Middle Schools, has already started preparatory work on a plan to build an eco-greenhouse using unwanted plastic bottles. She has worked with Rotary before. Her grandfather was in Gosforth Rotary and his wife was in Inner Wheel. The schools have well developed partnerships in place with parents, carers, other schools, FE at Newcastle College and other local and regional businesses and organisations. They work on projects with the Biscuit Factory and the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle and the Morpeth Gathering, a charity for the deaf and Comic Relief. Schools of the Three Rivers Learning Trust often work together. Secondary students from KEVI support the Middle Schools and the Middle Schools support the First Schools. They have had interest and support from the Morpeth Herald, social media, Morpeth and other local magazines, TV and radio. Rotarian Colin Dyson has recently been into school to talk to Charlotte about what Morpeth Rotary can do to help. The 530 children were each asked to bring in two or more waste 2 litre plastic bottles and to decorate them and add important messages. Pupils are keen and interested in saving the planet, global warming and a need to grow your own vegetables and plants. She now has 1000 decorated plastic bottles in a cupboard at school and brought some in to show some of the wonderful work they had done. A website keeps parents up to date. Pupils in the school gardening club can help to put the structure in place. The project will develop a blueprint that can be used as a model in other schools. Morpeth Rotary President Martyn Jenkins thought that local business and the Chamber of Trade may like to offer help. There is a good link between the project and the social and community responsibility element of enterprise. The aim is to start at Newminster then roll it out to other local schools. Charlotte was thanked by Colin Dyson.