PUPILS at a Llangollen school have proven their green credentials after being awarded a top eco award.

Ysgol Dinas Brân have been awarded the prestigious Platinum Flag Award after previously gaining three Green Flag Awards thanks to the environmental education programme, Eco-Schools.

Eco-Schools is an international programme run in Wales by environmental charity, Keep Wales Tidy and funded by the Welsh Government, and over 90 per cent of schools in Wales are registered on the programme.

The programme inspires and empowers pupils to be leaders of change in their community, helping them learn about sustainable living and global citizenship while giving them the information and support they need to make changes that will benefit their school, local environment and wider community, such as reducing waste, energy consumption, transport, biodiversity, healthy living and litter issues.

As part of their Eco-Schools Platinum assessment, Ysgol Dinas Brân organised a Go Green Day for its Year 7 students, which was led by the school’s Student Council and involved their local councillor Robin Lovelock, the AM Ken Skates and MP Susan Elan Jones in the project.

The school secured a Rural Futures Lotto grant working with Mark Gahan from a local development agency Severn Wye to get the Inter-Climate Network to run workshops on sustainability and single use plastics.

Ysgol Dinas Brân is a British Council International School Award holder so to tackle a global issue it worked in partnerships with schools in Italy, Germany and Lebanon with students exchanging film messages explaining what they were doing about sustainability.

The school has since focused on sustainability as its transition week project with local primary schools participating.

The Student Council is working with MP Susan Elan Jones to put a petition to Parliament to stop the use of all non-essential single use plastics in all UK schools, and has already been successful in working with Denbighshire Council in stopping the use of Styrofoam in all Denbighshire schools from 2020 onwards.

Andrew Wallis, International Coordinator of the school, said: “This is a fantastic achievement that the students and staff at Ysgol Dinas Brân can be rightly proud of.

“We have had a very busy year with a number of different student-led campaigns and workshops which are having a real impact on our students and the wider community.

“We as a school body are very excited and motivated to keep campaigning on environmental issues as some of our students have said we have little choice as There isn’t a Planet B.”

Catrin Hughes, Education Officer for Keep Wales Tidy said: “The Platinum Flag is a very impressive achievement and highlights the enthusiasm and commitment that Ysgol Dinas Brân has towards sustainable development.

“The dedication of the Eco-Committee over many years has been inspirational.

“I’d like to congratulate and thank all of the pupils and staff involved for their hard work.”