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Four Wiltshire schoolgirls will get a chance to give world leaders a wake-up call on the crisis facing the planet at a global conference later this month. Catherine Lear and Melanie Davies (both 11) from Urchfont and Kirsti Biggs (10) and Sophie Townsend (11) from Alderbury have been picked to represent the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust at the Millennium International Children’s Conference on the Environment in Eastbourne from 22-24 May. The conference, first held in 1995, came about as a result of the 1995 Rio Summit, which told national governments to pay attention to children’s concerns and opinions on the environment they will inherit. The girls will be among 1,000 delegates between the ages of ten and 12, from over 100 countries around the world. Their task, over three days, is to develop innovative ideas on protecting and improving the world’s environment for the future. Conference themes include Sharing the Planet, Water is Life, and Living in Cities. Catherine and Melanie, both Year 6 pupils at Urchfont Primary School, are keen members of the Devizes Wildlife Watch Group, which has taken an active part in the effort to conserve Drews Pond Wood. Kirsti and Sophie both attend the Watch Group attached to their school, Alderbury and West Grimstead Primary School, which has been involved in a project to design environmentally-friendly school grounds. Funding for the trip, covering travel and hotel expenses, has come from Blue Circle Cement and Kennet District Council. Blue Circle are also providing funding for an adult escort, Trust Community Wildlife Officer Sarah Davison. The four young environmentalists met for the first time at a bowling evening at Strikers’ Bowling Alley, Salisbury on Tuesday May 9th, organized by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. |
