14 Jul 2009

Pupils tackle reserve rubbish

Lady Pippa Blake took time out of her busy schedule to help young environmentalists on a mission to clean up Sir Peter Blake's childhood suburb.

As well as Bayswater being Sir Peter's home, this is where Lady Blake brought up their young children, and is also the first place she lived in New Zealand with Sir Peter's family.

Bayswater Primary School's environment group opted to help out in the Sir Peter Blake Trust Care for our Coast beach clean up and chose to clear Philomel reserve of rubbish. Lady Blake hopes that pupils will pass on a love of helping their environment to their children. She is visiting New Zealand for the annual Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards. "This is a beautiful area, but if you look closely there is lots of rubbish," she says.

Young environmentalist Joshua Whyte says they wanted to do this because they do not want the fish to die from pollution in the area. "I think it is really disappointing. People don't pick up their rubbish," he says.

- North Shore Times, 30 June 2009