Money grows for trees in Yellow Woods Challenge

School children across Hertsmere have scored a double jackpot simply by recycling old Yellow Pages directories - they've won hundreds of pounds for their schools and raised enough money to plant and care for 70 native trees in England.

It was all part of the Yellow Woods Challenge, a simple, educational and fun campaign which is run nationally by Yellow Pages working with the Woodland Trust and local councils.  The idea was for schools to collect as many old Yellow Pages as possible so they could be recycled and prizes were based on the number of directories collected per pupil. 

The Wroxham School, Potters Bar, beat off all the competition and managed to collect 1.54 old Yellow Pages per pupil and took the 'Gold Oak' title winning £300.  Cranbourne Primary School, also in Potters Bar, won the 'Silver Birch' title and £200, while Clore Shalom School, Shenley, won the 'Bronze Beech' title and £100. 

'Seeds to trees' kits were given as 4th, 5th and 6th prizes to St John's Infant & Nursery School, Radlett, Lochinver House School, Potters Bar, and Bushey Manor Junior School respectively.  Yellow Pages also awarded a £100 bonus prize to The Wroxham School for collecting a grand total of 350 old directories, the most in total in this year's local Challenge (photo attached).  

The Yellow Pages collected were recycled by Ravens Recycling into animal bedding.  Residents who want to dispose of their old Yellow Pages for recycling can do so at household waste sites.  The local competition has now closed but the schools still have a chance to win thousands of pounds in the national competition for their recycling efforts.

Kiri Hardiman, Waste Officer at Hertsmere Borough Council, said: "This has been a fantastic competition with nearly 700 old directories being recycled into animal bedding.  I congratulate our schools for their achievements locally and wish them all the best of luck in the national competition."

Richard Duggleby, Head of External Relations at Yell, the publisher of Yellow Pages directories, said: "For every pound we award to schools for recycling old Yellow Pages directories, we give a matching pound to the Woodland Trust.  Thanks to the recycling efforts of residents and schools in Hertsmere, that's another £700 raised for the Trust."

Janice Hix, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the Woodland Trust, said: "This is a very valuable contribution towards our goal.  We're hoping to raise enough money through this year's national Yellow Woods Challenge to plant and care for more than five hectares of native woodland - an area as big as 13 football pitches.
 

For more information about the local and national Yellow Woods Challenge competition, please visit www.yellow-woods.co.uk