Penrhyndeudraeth Children In Local Environment Campaign

Penrhyndeudraeth children in local environment campaign ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Children in year 5 at Ysgol Cefn Coch, Penrhyndeudraeth, recently took part in a combined anti-litter and dog fouling campaign. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The children, who were involved in the school’s environmental group Clwb Eco, had written to Gwynedd Council to ask for assistance in tackling the issues locally after becoming concerned by the amount of rubbish and dog mess in their community’s open spaces. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Council’s Tidy Towns Officer, Jonathan Neale, liaised with the school and the pupils decided to take part in a Tidy Towns campaign to raise awareness of the problems. As part of the campaign the children created pictures, which gave a voice to their concerns and display the environmental messages in a colourful and imaginative way. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Councillor Gareth Thomas who represents the area on Gwynedd Council said: “Penrhyndeudraeth has some great areas for children to play in, but these areas are often spoiled by litter and dog fouling, which is a great shame. I would like to thank the children at Ysgol Cefn Coch for grasping the initiative with their campaign to improve the community and I look forward to seeing the signs up around the village.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor John Wynn Jones, added: “The Tidy Towns scheme is great at giving communities and schools a way of acting environmentally for the greater good. The children at Ysgol Cefn Coch are the latest to benefit from this initiative and their imaginative efforts to improve their local parks and open spaces are excellent.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Though Gwynedd compares well with other areas in Wales for street cleanliness, littering and its effects are still a persistent problem blighting some communities. Those who thoughtlessly throw rubbish in any public place are committing a crime. A person found guilty of littering can receive a fine of up to £2,500. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Many dogs are infected with parasites which can be harmful to people, especially children. Toxocariasis is a disease caused when the eggs of toxocara worms are transferred from dogs to people through infected dog mess or soil. Infection can lead to illness and even blindness. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In Gwynedd it is a criminal offence to take a dog onto designated children’s play areas, school grounds, sports pitches and certain beaches (April-September) or to allow your dog to foul any public space. Offenders are liable to receive a £100 fixed penalty, with failure to pay potentially leading to a court summons and a fine of up to £1,000. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Tidy Towns is funded by a grant from the Welsh Government with the aim of improving the quality of the local environment. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​