THE Rotary Club of Holsworthy has very generously supported 16 primary schools within the wider Holsworthy community, access a new series of books which aim to help children understand real environmental issues.
Every primary school in Devon will receive copies of Hunter’s Icy Adventure, Buddy’s Rainforest Rescue and Sunny’s Blazing Battle, together with excellent teaching resources and ideas to create their own School Environment Day.
Ellie was chosen as one of eight winners of a joint competition run by Devon County Council and Newquay-based Crowdfunder at the start of September. The #BacktheFuture campaign looked for local projects to help tackle the climate emergency, with participants each launching their own Crowdfunders. The winners received match-funding donations depending on how much they raised.
Ellie’s series of children’s books, Wild Tribe Heroes, help children understand real environmental issues. The first three books in the series focus on plastic pollution and have reached over 1.5-million children in Devon and across the UK, receiving personal support from Sir David Attenborough and Prince Charles. In her new books, Ellie has turned her attention to the growing climate change crisis.
Ellie said: “Coping with the last 18 months has been incredibly hard for us all, so I was overwhelmed to have such support from within the Devon community. Even in the middle of a pandemic, people are continuing to care passionately for our environment, and I’m excited to see the children’s energy and enthusiasm in the months to come. I want to thank everyone for their kind and generous support which, unbelievably, saw the project exceed its target within a few weeks.”
Each book follows a well known animal as they encounter difficulties in their habitats caused by changes to their environment. A polar bear, orangutan and koala transport children to the Arctic wilderness, Indonesian rainforest and Australian bush to help bring their stories to life for young readers. Together with detailed teaching resources, the books act as a springboard into the issues without being upsetting or overwhelming.
Ellie continued: “It is so important to me that we engage with our children in the right way. Because each story is true to life, children can feel really connected to the animals and the problems they face, yet all the books have happy endings with positive ideas for the future. I want children to feel empowered and inspired to make changes.
“I hope that in turn, children can motivate their families, schools and wider community to get involved. I believe that it is through a gentle and optimistic approach that we will see attitudes really change. Devon has already started the ball rolling on single use plastic — now let’s do this for climate change!”
The Rotary Club of Holsworthy has very generously supported 16 primary schools within the wider Holsworthy community, reaching over 3000 children with these beautiful books.
Rotary president Gareth Smith from the Club said: “The Rotary Club of Holsworthy is doing it’s part to keep our planet clean, safe and healthy for future generations. We are pleased to share these books with so many schools so our children can learn more about how to help animals, plants, and sea creatures. We hope the children enjoy reading about ways we can all look after the local places where we live, work, play and go to school.”
Ellie asked all primary schools to work towards a fun Devon School Environment Day on November 12 to coincide with the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Schools could choose to get involved in a wide range of activities, online workshops, videos and learning opportunities that really shine a spotlight on what can be done to help tackle climate change. Ellie is bringing together many environmental groups and charities that are already working hard in the South West, including Surfers Against Sewage, National Trust, RSPB and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, as well as local climate, environmental and marine conservation groups.
To find out more about these free resources for schools, visit www.schoolenvironmentday.com