STUDENTS of a Flintshire high school cleaned up plastic and rubbish from local beaches and play areas to help protect wildlife and the environment.

The year 10 students from Flint High School undertook the five hour clean up for the Community Challenge, which forms fifteen per cent of their Welsh Baccalaureate GCSE qualification.

The challenge is focused on understanding the problems caused by plastic waste and identifying what can be organised and carried out through a programme of voluntary work.

As well as helping to actively target areas to clear of plastics, students are also required to promote the message of the importance of being plastic free within their school and local community, as well as organise and carry out a lobbying campaign.

Students were tasked with the brief: ‘Neighbourhood Enhancement: Making our area safer, restoring its natural beauty and protecting our environment, the students visited Prestatyn and Rhyl to clean Nova Beach, Barkby Beach, the children’s play areas and the Frith Beach Festival Gardens.

The students identified areas to clean and worked in groups to remove both large and micro-plastics.

The various activities were run in collaboration with Denbighshire Project officer, Gareth Jones, and environmental charity, Keep Wales Tidy.

Katrina Edwards, Welsh Baccalaureate curriculum leader, said: “The students worked really hard and did a fantastic job of cleaning up the beaches and other areas. "They took great pride in doing something positive for the environment and the community. I am very proud of them all."