Learners tackled a variety of activities during a busy opening term at Mansfield Education Hub.

The group studied sustainable practices, such as using fresh food while it is in date, donating unused clothes to clothing banks or charity shops, and turning off unnecessary lighting and recycling.

This inspired students to deliver sustainability pledges to Amanda Fisher, of Northfield Avenue Community Allotment, Mansfield Woodhouse, who runs sustainable projects.

The pledges included:

Recycling all paper and card in the hub.
Litter-picking in the local area.
Collecting, crushing, and recycling cans in exchange for money, which could be invested into resources to improve sustainability practices in the hub.
Shopping more sustainably, for example, by purchasing items that are not wrapped in single-use, virgin plastic, such as buying loose fruits and vegetables.
Creating blogs and social media posts to raises awareness of global warming.

Students also had an educational visit to Veolia to learn about the recycling and handling process. They learned about which items belong in general waste, which can be recycled, and how to be more conscious of disposing of waste in the right way.

Teacher Karen McCartney said: “By creating their pledges our students have made a commitment to implement sustainable practices and have identified how they can make a difference.

“We are all proud of their dedication to this and the fantastic job they did creating and delivering their pitches.”

Students also completed their first term project, focused on the local area, and their identities. They learned about coalfield communities, life when their elders were miners, and how the closure of the mines impacted communities.

A trip to the National Coal Mining Museum, near Wakefield, enabled the learners to experience being in a mine and what working as a miner entailed.