CHILDREN at at a Saffron Walden school celebrated Recycle Week (June 18-24) by receiving a new bench made out of recycled plastic.

St Thomas More Primary School was challenged by David Wilson Homes - behind the nearby Oakhill Park development on Peaslands Road - to collect as many plastic milk containers as they could.

The housebuilding firm then replaced them with a colourful new bench made entirely from recycled bottles.

Working with Powerday, the company who provide waste and recycling facilities at Oakhill Park, David Wilson Homes organised for a plastic collection container to be delivered to the school for a week. The container was taken away and replaced by a brightly coloured bench which had been made from 572 plastic milk bottles.

The activity, as part of the housebuilder’s education programme, was aimed at teaching children about recycling.

Headteacher Mary Jo Hall said: “The pupils really enjoyed taking part in the project and it was a great way to get them excited about recycling.

“We’d like to thank David Wilson Homes for organising the project and especially for the brightly coloured bench – it really has been a key attraction for the children at play time, as well as giving them a sense of achievement knowing they contributed to creating it.”

David Eardley, managing director for David Wilson Homes Eastern, said: “We try to recycle as much as we can at Oakhill Park and appreciate that sustainability is an extremely important issue. We can all do our bit to help, and this project was a fun and interesting way to teach young people about recycling.

“I hope that the children took something away from the project and with any luck they will continue the good work in the future.”

For information about Recycle Week visit recyclenow.com/recycle_week/. To find out more about David Wilson Homes Oakhill Park development call 01799 510760 or visit dwh.co.uk.

All benches were provided by Maxmax products, for more information visit Marmaxproducts.co.uk.