Girls from a Brighton junior school have won their first seven-a-side football tournament while wearing kit made from recycled plastic bottles, thanks to a Plastics 2020 Challenge initiative.
A visit from the Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) Cool Seas Roadshow to Patcham Junior School in February inspired the girls to participate in the Bottles Champions competition where the collection of closures sent to recycling is rewarded by an offer of football kit made from discarded bottles.
The head teacher at Patcham, Peter Barker, said the pupils took up recycling after hearing from the roadshow how plastic littered in the sea could pose a threat to marine wildlife. “The whole school felt incredibly inspired to make a difference to the pollution of our seas.
“When they realised that much of the pollution comes from plastic washed up on the shore they really were motivated to collect the plastic bottle tops,” he said.
Following their success in winning the Brighton & Hove Girls seven-a-side tournament, the Patcham team, made up of girls from years 5 and 6, will now represent local schools in the Sussex finals next March at Lancing College.