WARMINSTER School has been named Regional Winner at the Environmental Youth Awards held at the Royal Bath & West show last weekend.

Pupils were presented with the award by Annie Maw, the new Lord-lieutenant of Somerset.

The competition was started in 1996 by Brigadier John Hemsley with the Royal Bath & West of England Society and encourages youngsters to become interested in environmental and conservation.

Jason Holt, Head of Outdoor Pursuits at Warminster School, said: “Our pupils are encouraged to undertake small conservation tasks, such as planting trees, protecting bluebells and making bird boxes.

“In addition, activities such as carrying in water, the planning of construction of a compost toilet, removing rubbish and searching for firewood encourage participants to think about these issues in the wider world.

“Our School fosters a deep respect for the environment in general and woodlands in particular so we are delighted with this award.”

The Forest School at Warminster School offers pupils the chance to build a relationship with the site and learn about what lives there, as well as how to take care of it and how to use the natural materials from the site sustainably.

One nomination each year is selected from each of the counties covered by the society and the selections are made on the basis of rewarding originality and effort, provided this is within an overall quality project.

Gillian Walmsley, Environmental Coordinator at Warminster School, said: “The review was quite detailed and was completed by Year 7 pupils.

“They investigated energy and water use, sourcing food, travelling to School, recycling and the diversity of our environment.

“They chose two areas to focus on - firstly energy saving and the creation of a nature trail around the pond area and planting bee friendly plants ready for the introduction of a hive.

“The Environmental Youth Awards initiative is a great way to promote conservation and environmental issues to young people. We are thrilled with this award.”

The school beat Banwell Primary School in Bristol, Canford School in Wimborne and Wellesley Park Primary School in Wellington.