Monmouthshire's young grand designers have work displayed

Monmouthshire pupils with an eye for design and an environmental conscience had their model buildings displayed to celebrate Wales' first Sustainability Week.

The event also marks the launch of Monmouthshire Local Service Board's 10:10 Campaign. The 10:10 campaign asks organisations to pledge to reduce their carbon emissions by 10 per cent during 2010.

The children designed buildings that are easy on the eye, good for the landscape and helpful to the environment.

Monmouthshire's future grand designers saw their work displayed in County Hall, Cwmbran where they were presented with awards by Monmouthshire County Council Leader, Peter Fox, and Helen Bosanquet from the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW).

Colette Mooney, Monmouthshire County Council's Sustainable Communities Officer, said:

"Children from Cantref, Llanfoist, Goytre and Gilwern primary schools entered some fantastic drawings and models. 

"They had lots of good ideas, and had done a lot of research to show how they could reduce the impact their designs would have on the environment.

"The children thought hard about what they liked buildings to look like and how they would fit in with their surroundings. The winners included the use of local resources in their designs and sustainable development features such as good insulation using Welsh wool, compost bins, water butts, vegetable patches and even sun pipes."

Councillor Peter Fox said:

"These talented children could be our designers of the future so it's really encouraging to see them take an interest in their environment.

"Lots of the designs showed how they would generate their own energy using wind turbines and solar power too.

"There certainly are some Great Young Grand Designers out there and so let's hope we see some of their work being built in our county in the future!"