Westhoughton children are taking the lead on creating a greener future

The Gates Primary School on Bristle Hall hosted an incredible festival celebrating all things green.

It was the second year running for Gates Green Fest, which transformed the school grounds into a vibrant hub of environmental awareness and community engagement.

There was an impressive array of eco-friendly activities, with pupils showcasing their creativity through unique projects.

On Wednesday (May 20), The Bolton News went along to find out more and speak to students about the importance of sustainability.

The Gates Primary School staff (Image: NQ)

Headteacher Seán Doherty said: “We began the festival last year, working with a group of children from Year One to Year Six.

“With our Eco-Action Team, we wanted to do something based around spreading the message of positive sustainability.”

The school’s motto around sustainability is ‘Reuse, repurpose and reclaim’.

This is evidenced by the former fuel-run bus parked in front of the primary school, which has been repurposed into a welcoming reading space.

“We take things that people donate or items that are broken at the school, and reuse them for something new,” said Mr Doherty.

“We don’t have a budget, so everything is repurposed.”

The children even have their own garden, with reused wood for the planters.

The Eco Team and Gardening Club are devoted to keeping the garden thriving, planting everything from scratch.

Willow weaving (Image: NQ)

Lillia from Year 5, who is on the student council, spoke of her love for gardening.

“With my family, we’re doing a sunflower race to see who can grow the biggest one.

“My Grandad also built a planter, and together we have been finding seeds and planting them.”

Lillia said she adores being out in the garden because it “calms her down and is good for nature too”.

The Bolton News then spoke with Wyatt from Year 6, who agreed that gardening “calms his mood”.

He said helping with the school’s community garden has encouraged him to spend more time outdoors with his friends.

We also met the school’s head girl, Bea and head prefect, Florence, from Year 6, who have taken part in art projects using reused materials.

Town Mayor Councillor Sarita Chohan and Consort Mr Rishi Chohan with Florence, Bea and Mr Seán Doherty (Image: NQ)

Sarita Chohan and consort Rishi Chohan were also at the festival.

Cllr Sarita Chohan said: “It’s been a pleasure to be here, and it brings back memories for Rishi and myself because our boys came to this school.

“It’s wonderful to see passion from youngsters about how to reuse and sustain things that they use on a daily basis.

“We’ve walked around, made bird feeders, dug and planted bulbs and made marshmallows from natural ingredients.

“It’s been a great day.”

Sustainable artwork made by students (Image: NQ)

Mr Chohan added that it was great to see how enthusiastic the children were as they take steps towards creating a better world for themselves.

The school collaborated with local sustainable businesses and people who have a passion for helping the environment.

We ended our visit with willow weaving, a traditional craft using flexible willow branches to create beautiful, sustainable pieces.