PUPILS at Whitstone Community Primary School were delighted to accept the invitation to take part in the 'Save the Planet' exhibition organised by the Churches in Bude that belong to Christians Together in Bude and Stratton and Transition Bude, which was held in the Bude Methodist Church and Hall.

Members of school's Adventure Ecology after-school club produced an interactive display 'Join the Wave and Save the Planet,' which offered practical suggestions about reducing the amount of water we use.

Pupils have also been looking at how local communities can be supported and sustained and, at the same time, reduce the impact they have on the environment. The focus of their investigations on the theme of sustainability has been international food markets and the detrimental effects they can have on the world's climate. One of the ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprints, both individually and as communities, is by buying foods that are produced locally.

When interviewed by the children, Dan Cock, proprietor of the village stores and post office in Whitstone, told them that he is always seeking opportunities to add to the 'produced locally' range of foods that he already sells in his shop, which includes items sourced from businesses in Whitstone and the neighbouring villages.

Recently, the children had the opportunity to visit two businesses in the area who supply products to outlets across the region, including the village stores in Whitstone. As part of their Literacy lessons, they wrote articles about the visits and how local sourcing of products and, where possible, the ingredients they contain can make a valuable contribution to sustaining small communities and help maintain the delicate balance in the earth's complex ecological system.

The articles written by the children also formed part of the display on the Cornwall Council stand at the exhibition.