News

A Hobbs Hill Wood Primary pupil has won her school a signed copy of Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular, as well as a wormery worth £120

Sophie, aged nine, was one of more than 70 entrants to design a poster to present the benefits of composting and how to compost.

The competition was open to all primary schools in Dacorum, and we received some fantastic entries. However, it was Sophie’s artwork which caught the eye of Hemel Hempstead-based author Polly Owen, who wrote the newly published book and was part of the judging panel. The book tells the true story of how Charles Darwin came to discover that the humble earthworm is the most important species on our planet.

The winning design, plus those chosen as runners-up, will be displayed on our Schools Recycling Service page and social media channels.

Cllr Robin Bromham, our Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Operations, said: “Composting is a way of working in harmony with a natural ecosystem. This will preserve nutrients and convert waste back into clean fertiliser, which will help to grow flowers or the food we will be eating next year. It’s wonderful that children of Dacorum have been learning about these processes and describing it in their artwork.”

Hobbs Hill Wood Primary School will soon receive the wormery for its garden and a signed copy of the book for its library, with both kindly donated by Polly. All competition runners-up will be getting a Worm Spectacular badge, bookmark and sticker.

Teachers and fellow school staff can sign up to our SEED (Supporting Environmental Education in Dacorum) newsletter for primary schools, which features the latest local environmental news, campaigns, classroom ideas and links to free resources.

To find out more about home composting and discounted compost bins, please visit our Home Composting page.