Pupils at a Brighton primary school helped raise £13,600 to pay for solar panels to be fitted to the canteen roof.
And today (Thursday 9 July) Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas went along to St Luke’s to congratulate the school’s “Eco-Warriors”.
The Green MP had a chance to see the solar array which is expected to bring £2,245 a year in financial benefits for the school.
And she met parent Stella Pentecost, who came up with the idea of installing the panels, teacher and parent Fiona Byrne and head teacher Jonathan Cooper.
The project has been supported by the carbon reduction campaign group 10:10 and the panels were installed during the May half-term holiday by Lewes company Ecosphere.
The school has used the project to help them learn about maths, science and the environment.
Mr Cooper said: “It’s absolutely wonderful that we’ve reached our total and have now installed solar panels.
“I would like to say thank you to 10:10, our solar school team, parents, carers and our generous donors. We’re very lucky to have such a caring and committed community.
Our Eco-Warriors have worked tirelessly too, organising many fundraising events from comics to cakes to talent shows.
“It’s been an amazing journey, leaving us with many happy memories and truly enriching the children’s understanding of green issues and sustainability.
Caroline Lucas said: “This project at St Luke’s is truly inspirational. Thanks to the hard work of parents, carers and the PTFA, St Luke’s now has a fully operational solar array that will create electricity, cut carbon emissions and serve as a fantastic learning resource for pupils at the school.
“I’m very proud to be part of the launch of this project and I hope that it serves as an inspiration for other schools in Brighton and across the UK.”
Ecosphere’s director of communications Zoe Forbes said: “At Ecosphere we believe the children of today are the planet’s caretakers of the future.
“St Luke’s students have learned how important renewable energy is for our planet and it has been wonderful to see how proud the children are of the solar panels.
“We would delighted if every school in Brighton installed solar and hope to work with Caroline Lucas to help realise this dream.”
For more information about the project and funding options, visit http://www.theecosphere.co.uk/sectors/solar-for-schools/.
