The Stan Kenyon School Challenge is longest running Leeds City Council corporate social responsibility project. These are the fifthteenth annual awards. 85 different schools have now completed the challenge. Many return each year. About 2500 school children have come to the Civic Hall to meet the Lord Mayor and receive their awards.
The awards were inspired by a former Director of Planning, Stan Kenyon, who retired in 1995 but is still active in encouraging young people to get to grips with local environmental issues and to come up with ways of making Leeds a better place for all its citizens.
Too hot to handle- the 2008-9 challenge winners.
This year, schools were asked to produce ideas on the theme of climate change - schools were asked to design a scheme for their schools or homes which reduced the adverse effects of climate change.
The overall winners of the 2008/9 challenge are Whitecote Primary School with a project that the judges said “could help shape the way we live in future generations”. It was an very close contest though, with many excellent entries. John Jamieson won the best high school category and Pudsey Primrose Hill won best primaryschool. Full details of all the awards and some photographs can be downloaded in our winners newsletter.
We must also thank all the sponsors. Sanderson Weatherall, the property consultants as the chief sponsor and also Walton and Co and Walker Morris for backing with the challenge throughout its history.
Lungs of the city - the challenge for 2009/10
Leeds has many green spaces and parks. These act as the green lungs of the city and are often not used to properly or neglected. Sometimes they are not recognised as being in existence and are waiting for someone to tell us how best they can be used.
These spaces can be a park, play ground or public open space, even a school playing field that is not used as best it could. They could be land not used for anything, along a beck or river. It could be a known locally as a good place to see wildlife, rabbits, birds or perhaps protected species.
Is there a ‘lung’ in your area that you visit regularly, is it a park, or somewhere you go to play. Can you tell us why you like it? Is it a park, could it be a new park or a nature walk? We want you to tell us about this, what is already there, any wildlife you would like to study ,or how you can encourage more birds or flowers to grow there. Does this place have an ‘eco system’ does it add to the local ecosystems for the local environment as well as Leeds or the region or the world?
Stan is looking forward to seeing what schools come up with for their lungs of the city projects. Any school requiring further information should contact Linda Banks on 0113 247 6421 or email linda.banks@leeds.gov.uk.