Two local primary schools - St Paul's in Brinnington and St Winifred's in Heaton Mersey - presented their climate action ideas to a packed council chamber on 13 July. 

The students proposed a policy of introducing and supporting community gardens, where people can plant and pick fruit and vegetables. This in turn reduces the carbon footprint of food.

The presentation formed part of the Schools Climate Assembly (SCA) project, which involved months of climate action lessons, pupil-led debates and more, with the aim of 'giving young people a voice in the climate emergency'. 

The project saw 850 students across the borough propose 130 climate action ideas that they would like to see the council implement to tackle climate change.

At the end of the programme, pupils from 28 different schools and colleges voted on what they thought was the best idea; the aforementioned community gardens initiative, proposed by St Paul's in Brinnington, was the winner. 

As deputy council leader Cllr Mark Roberts explained when introducing the presenters, the aim of the SCA was to "encourage and increase the amount of engagement with local schools". 

He added: "The aim of the SCA is to give young people a voice in the climate emergency. [...] It was fascinating to see just how good the level of debate was."

Schools across the borough proposed ideas on climate action. St Paul's Primary School in Brinnington was behind the winning idea of community gardens (Image - Google Maps)

Cllr Roberts outlined the following initiatives to implement the students' proposals: 

• New 'Book Worms Gardening Clubs' will be set up at public libraries, with schools and communities engaged with planting and maintaining these new growing spaces.
• Schools and colleges that participated in the Schools & Youth Climate Assemblies 2022-23 will be eligible for a one-off £200 grant to support food growing and planting for biodiversity in education settings.
• An educational resource will be created so that schools and colleges can teach about food and climate change.
• A commitment from the council to offer every school in Stockport a site assessment for tree and soft fruit bush planting within the next three-year tree planting cycle.
• A 'We CAN' activity calendar will be created to celebrate all the climate and nature action ideas young people put forward. The activity calendar will be shared with all primary schools.

The deputy leader praised the work of the students in engaging with climate action and presenting to the council, saying: "It's so important that school children and college pupils are a part of what we do, that as a council we listen to them, and they feel supported to tackle the serious issue of climate change. It is, after all, they who will have to live with the consequences of climate change the longest in our society.

"I'm delighted that the council have committed to addressing the ask of the winning project, as we did with sustainable period products last year and I look forward to schools and our libraries across the borough taking part and creating their own community gardens.

"I also hope to see the work we did at Stockport on sustainable period products from our first schools climate assembly picked up by other local authorities and the benefits shared with other young people across the country. We'd love to see a Greater Manchester roll out of a period positive policy like this originating and championed from Stockport council and it's young people."

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