A PEMBROKESHIRE school has been making a difference to the environment in its local community over the last few years.

Pennar Community School has a number of highlights which include improving their knowledge of sustainability and becoming climate change champions.

In September 2022, the school won the BBC Regenerators Climate Champions Group award for their work on COP 1 – Conference of Pennar 1 – where pupils discussed the ways they can make the school more sustainable and reduce impact on the environment.

Last April, they won the Green Heart Hero award which was given to them by the Climate Coalition. The award went to the school for inspiring the next generation of climate champions who go above and beyond to showcase and promote sustainability, to inspire students and keep tackling climate change as a priority.

Just a month later, the school was given the Gold Sustainable Schools Award, with June seeing the school make the final of the Tidy Wales awards and given their third Eco Schools Green Flag.

In September 2023, the school held its third Conference of Pennar (COP 3) at the same time as the worldwide COP26. All classes chose their own delegate to represent them at the conference, with each providing a possible solution to an existing environmental problem within the school and/or the local area. The conference was led by Sian Taylor, who – alongside Councillor Simon Briskham and deputy headteacher Joanne Hinds – is the driving force behind the green team.

After the proposals were presented, the delegates voted on each proposal, with all successful proposals carried out during the coming school year.

The decisions were to recycle more, use less plastic and to improve the biodiversity of the school grounds.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cllr Guy Woodham, cabinet member for education and Welsh Language, visited the school with county councillors Michele Wiggins and Tony Wilcox to see the work that was done.