A STICKER designed by a Drove Primary School pupil will be used in a campaign to promote litter-picking.

Five-year-old Omsee Joshi was awarded a certificate by Councillor Keith Williams at her school yesterday to celebrate her winning design that will encourage other pupils to keep Swindon tidy.

The competition was part of a campaign organised by Swindon Borough Council with hundreds of entrants from schools across the town.

Drove Primary School reception teacher Samantha Taylor who teaches teaches Omsee said: “It was a well-deserved win. I’m very proud of her because it’s a reflection on all our children at the school. Any one of them could have won, they’re always so engaged and eager to learn.”

The competition began last December after pupils took part in workshops with roleplaying activities, songs and lessons about litter. During a workshop, the class was shown pictures of littered streets which, according to Miss Taylor, inspired the winner to start drawing.

Miss Taylor said: “When Omsee saw the photos, she talked about a time when she was walking home and saw someone toss chips on the floor. She said it made her feel very sad.”

Her design featured children putting rubbish in a bin with the slogan ‘Bin It!’ It won because it showed a child’s perspective of the problem and demonstrated how simple the solution was.

The workshops were organised by Swindon Borough Council Environmental Education Program leader Pam Jones and will continue throughout the year. Any child who takes part in them from now on will receive a sticker with Omsee’s design on it.

It is hoped that this will make local schoolchildren more conscious of the effects of rubbish on the environment and encourage their parents to be more environmentally friendly, leading to a tidier town centre.

Miss Taylor said: “It’s an important part of our curriculum to make sure that we get the message across about keeping the town tidy, to ensure that pupils bear it in mind when outside of school so that children and their parents do the right thing.”