Children from schools in Helston and around the Lizard Peninsula will be looking forward to cleaner playgrounds after this summer, thanks to a series of litter picks.

During May and June, pupils from the 18-school Helston and Lizard Peninsula Co-operative Education Trust took part in a litter pick around their school, following a proposal from the trust’s publicity officer, Year 10 Helston Community College student Blake Brown.

The scheme was proposed after St Michaels pupil Amelia Hawke-Treneer wrote a letter to former Helston mayor Jonathan Radford Gaby expressing concerns about the levels of litter, notably used cigarettes, in the local community.

The town council voted to run the litter pick, which has also been supported by teachers, and Blake will be invited along as a special guest to the next council meeting so that it can consider more eco-friendly projects, such as recycling and composting.

Frazer Delves, chairman of the trust, said: “By working together in partnership, schools and parents can help to play a key role in making people think twice about dropping litter. Projects such as the litter pick can help to instil core values such as responsibility and solidarity. The local community is everyone’s business and so it is important that we look after it.”

Breage, Cury, Helston Community College, Landewednack, Porthleven and St Michael’s have already held their clean-ups and the other trust schools, except Sithney, plan to participate in the coming weeks.