Bruce George, MP for Walsall South today met with pupils and staff from Joseph Leckie Community Technology College to congratulate them on winning a House of Lords Competition run by the Lord Speaker. The What a Waste! Competition , organised by the Lord Speaker in conjunction with the Hansard Society, asked school groups to come up with innovative ideas to reduce the amount of waste produced in the UK. The winners got the opportunity to present their idea to the House of Lords Sub-Committee on Waste Management. The competition was open to all children between the ages of 11-18 with three ages categories; 11-14 (Key Stage 3), 14-16 (Key Stage 4) and 16-18 (Key Stage 5).

The team from Joseph Leckie, made up of pupils Mark Malik, Alice Jones, Daniel Beech, Sultana Akhtar and Matthew Jones, with the support of teacher Joe Greaves, were the winners of the 16-18 year old group. They set themselves the test of coming up with an inventive solution to the waste reduction problem: a reusable shopping bag scheme. By using recycled materials and a community-centred approach, this social enterprise looks set to rid their community of plastic carrier bags.

Bruce George, who met the students when they visited Parliament to meet with the Lord Speaker, said today “Joseph Leckie has an amazing record in winning competitions organised by the Houses of Parliament. It’s fantastic to see local school pupils succeeding in this national competition. Their idea was excellent and they have a great opportunity to present their idea to members of the House of Lords. It was a great pleasure to meet with them today and I’d like to wish them and the school continued success in the future.”