More school children in Horsham District are set to learn how to lead a more sustainable life, under a new partnership between local charity Sussex Green Living and Wates Developments.
The two organisations share a common purpose. Sussex Green Living is on a mission to educate, inspire and empower local people to live in greater harmony with the natural world. Wates Developments – which specialises in residential and commercial land, planning, and development – is committed to creating places where people and planet thrive.
Working together, they will help children in 10 primary schools across Horsham District find out more about cutting carbon, reducing waste and having a positive impact on nature.
A £5,000 donation from Wates Developments will enable the charity to deliver a series of educational sessions with whole school assemblies and workshops in each of the 10 schools.
Pupils at Greenway Junior School in Horsham will be the first to benefit from the partnership, announced to mark National Food Waste Action Week (17-23 March), the UK’s biggest annual food waste reduction campaign. They will learn about how to stop food waste and composting through inspirational, play-based learning that will develop their critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Olivia Dear, Sustainability & Engagement Director for Wates Developments, said:“We’re always on the lookout for ways of working actively within our local communities that align with our own sustainability strategy and purpose of creating places where people and our planet thrive. We’re delighted to bring this to life in our partnership with Sussex Green Living, and we’re excited that children at Greenway Junior School have this fantastic opportunity to learn more about food waste and composting in such a fun way.”
Carrie Cort, Founder and CEO of Sussex Green Living, added: "We are delighted to be collaborating with Wates Developments and thus enabling us to deliver environmental education to state schools. This will help us share inspiring solutions and actions that everyone can take to reduce their impact on the planet and build a more sustainable world for all. Our focus on reducing food waste and composting is particularly timely, following on from National Food Waste Action Week, and given that local authorities will be introducing weekly food waste collections from the end of March next year.”
Claire Williamson, Headteacher, Greenway Junior School, said: “We’re thrilled that our pupils have the chance to find out more about sustainable living through food waste reduction and composting with Sussex Green Living, thanks to Wates Developments’ donation. These sessions are a great way to engage young people and inspire them to take action. We’re the first to sign up and it’s brilliant that others in Horsham District will also be able to benefit from this initiative.”
Wates Developments is part of the fourth-generation family business, Wates Group. Established over 127 years ago, Wates Group is one of the leading privately-owned, construction, development and property services companies in the UK.