Home
My Wrekin
Smallthorne Primary School class

Inspiring children to protect the environment through hands on learning

We've launched the first leg of our exciting school roadshow as part of the ongoing ‘The Sea Starts Here’ campaign. Designed to educate and inspire young minds, the initiative highlights the environmental damage caused by litter and its journey to the UK’s waterways, lakes, and oceans.

To an excited and engaged classroom, Wrekin representatives explained how even small acts of littering can snowball into severe consequences for our marine ecosystems. From plastic water bottles to crisp wrappers or coffee cups, the session highlighted how pollutants harm aquatic life and disrupt the balance of freshwater and marine habitats, often taking centuries to decompose.

“

Our goal with this school tour is to inspire the next generation to think critically about littering and how it impacts our waterways.

Simon Turner

Commercial Director, Wrekin Products Ltd.

To reinforce the importance of these lessons, students creatively took part by designing their own posters to raise awareness about littering and water pollution. The posters showcased the children’s understanding and commitment to protecting the environment, with many emphasising the message: The Sea Starts Here. We've also donated 40 packs of colouring crayons to the school, further encouraging creativity and environmental awareness through artistic expression.

  • Sign outside Smallthorne Primary Academy
  • Classroom learning about The Sea Starts Here
  • Classroom learning how long plastics take to biodegrade
  • Artwork produced by students at Smallthorne Primary Academy
  • Sign outside Smallthorne Primary Academy
  • Classroom learning about The Sea Starts Here
  • Classroom learning how long plastics take to biodegrade
  • Artwork produced by students at Smallthorne Primary Academy

Simon Turner, commercial director at Wrekin Products, said: “Our goal with this school tour is to inspire the next generation to think critically about littering and how it impacts our waterways. Children are not just the leaders of tomorrow—they’re powerful messengers for change today. By equipping them with knowledge and engaging them in creative projects, we hope to drive home the importance of protecting our world.”

The Sea Starts Here campaign was launched to raise awareness of the interconnectedness of litter, drainage systems, and water pollution. This innovative approach includes labelling gully grates with the campaign slogan and painting them bright blue to serve as permanent reminders of where waste ends up when improperly discarded.

Mr Dunn, class teacher at Smallthorne Primary School, added: “Collaborating with Wrekin has allowed us to spread an essential message in a creative way. By engaging children in this way, we hope to inspire a ripple effect of positive action within our families and local community. It was great to see Wrekin take the time to come out and deliver this message first hand.”

The roadshow marks the start of a broader educational initiative, we're planning to visit more schools to spread the message far and wide.

Learn more about The Sea Starts Here

From sewage spills to the damage caused by discarded litter, debris, and harmful chemicals, the UK’s rivers are reported to be in worse condition than ever.

To help combat this issue, we're promoting the message ‘The Sea Starts Here’ on our best-selling Tristar gully grates. These products account for over 50,000 gully grating installations annually, ensuring the message is guaranteed to be seen for many years to come. We hope that this will raise awareness that the drains in the streets outside homes are only designed to take surface water away.

Share this page