Cornwall school wins national marine litter film competition
A Cornwall primary school whose pupils created a video highlighting the issue of marine litter being washed up on their beach has been chosen to represent the UK in a European film premiere.
Fourlanesend Community School, near Torpoint, won the national ‘Catch Marine Litter on Film’ challenge, organised by Plymouth University and the National Marine Aquarium, with their two-minute piece Marine Heroes.
The video, shot at Cawsand and Portwrinkle beaches, shows the children picking up objects including toothpaste tops and plastic water bottles, identifying some of the key sources of this marine litter before asking the local community to take action by signing a ‘Marine Heroes pledge’ in their school.
The competition is part of the European Union-funded scientific project MARLISCO, being led in the UK by Plymouth University, and which aims to raise societal awareness of the problems and potential solutions relating to the accumulation of marine litter.
At an awards ceremony at the National Marine Aquarium this week, Fourlanesend was announced as the winner of both the overall competition and the Under-11s category. Andy Cummins, Campaigns Director at Surfers Against Sewage, presented them with the trophy and a cash prize of £500 – and the invitation to represent the UK in Bremen, Germany, for the European premiere in May.
School Coordinator Sarah Riggs said: “This means so much to the children as it demonstrates that they are making a difference to the world and that their voices are valued.
“Not only did we all learn just how dangerous plastic is to marine life, but the children have got so much out of the filming process and have learned many new skills. The film may only have been two minutes long but it took us months to make it. We’re now all really looking forward to a trip to Germany.”
In the 12-18s category, Assumption Grammar School from Northern Ireland was awarded 1st place for their film Sea Quest. Schools from Shetland, Berwick, Suffolk and Kendal were named as runners-up in each category.
Professor Richard Thompson, of the School of Marine Science and Engineering at the University, and a world-renowned expert on marine litter and microplastics, said: “It was great to see so many youngsters getting involved in this competition – there were entries from all corners of the UK.
“It’s evident that these young filmmakers have a good grasp of the problems caused by marine litter, and more importantly they clearly identify some of the solutions to what has become a global environmental problem.”
In addition to hosting and sponsoring the awards, the National Marine Aquarium provided technical assistance to some of the schools. Paul Cox, Director of Conservation and Communication, said: “The quality of the shortlisted ten films was superb, and the energy and enthusiasm was a credit to how engaged the pupils were, not just in the competition, but the issue at hand.”
All of the winning videos from across the 14 countries are being hosted on www.marlisco.eu/
The competition is one of numerous activities funded by the three-year, €4.5 million EU-funded MARLISCO project.
The project aims to promote co-responsibility among different sectors of society, including recreational and commercial users of the coast and sea, environmental groups, educators, government and policy makers, the media, waste management sectors, and designers, manufacturers and retailers of items that can potentially become marine litter.
