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North East Pupils Showcase Creativity in Competition to Tackle Climate Change

• Innovative ideas: Projects included biodiversity bins, a minibeast-inspired fashion range, and a low-carbon cookbook.

• Regional impact: Over 2,000 young people from 14 schools across the North East were supported by the Young Green Briton Challenge.

• Next stop, London: Winners from the North East will receive funding and mentorship before heading to the Houses of Parliament in 2027.

NEWCASTLE, UK

Sustainable sun protection, an upcycling platform, and a recycled greetings card business were among the innovative green ideas presented by North East pupils this week in a bid to tackle climate change.

Teams from 11 schools across the region showcased and pitched their ideas at Newcastle University on Monday 18 May, competing to be crowned the Young Green Briton Challenge Champions of the North East. A diverse judging panel of local experts and leaders faced the tough task of evaluating video submissions, physical showcases, and live pitches to select the projects worthy of investment and mentorship.

After much deliberation, Benfield School and Gosforth Central Middle School were crowned the joint North East winners.

The team from Benfield School won with their project, “Out with the old, in with the new,” which focuses on upcycling damaged school items ranging from old ties to musical instruments. Gosforth Central Middle School triumphed with “Bio Bins,” an eco-friendly bin cover designed to actively support local biodiversity. Both winning teams received £500 to put their ideas into action and have been invited to showcase their progress at the Houses of Parliament in London in Spring 2027.

The runners-up also impressed the judges with their creativity:

• Gosforth East Middle School secured a £200 investment by appealing to the judges' taste buds with live samples from their low-carbon cookbook.

• Hexham Middle School earned a £200 investment for their unique range of minibeast-inspired clothing made entirely from unwanted textiles.

  
  

The innovative projects were developed as part of the Young Green Briton Challenge, an exciting national initiative that empowers secondary school students to create entrepreneurial, eco-friendly solutions for their local communities. In the North East alone, the challenge has engaged over 2,000 students this year through educational workshops and Dragons' Den-style pitching sessions.

Now in its fourth year, the Young Green Briton Challenge enables young people aged 11 to 16 to design, present, and implement innovative ideas for local climate action. Led nationally by Social Innovation for All CIC and GenEarth CIC, the program is delivered in the North East by renowned climate educator Dr. Meryl Batchelder. Across the country, the initiative has supported over 27,000 young people to date.

YGBC is supported by a fantastic network of regional and national partners, including the Reece Foundation, LNER and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority in the North East, with national partners including the Green Britain Foundation, Ecotricity, and Trainline.

Simon Gilroy, Reece Foundation Trustee said: “Supporting the Young Green Briton Challenge is about investing in the future talent, ideas and ambition that exist here in the North East. The creativity, passion and problem-solving demonstrated by these students was inspiring to see. We are very proud that Reece Foundation funding is helping young people develop the green skills and confidence needed to shape a more sustainable future for our region, while empowering the next generation to lead the transition to a greener economy.”  

Kat Crisp, Co-Founder of the Young Green Briton Challenge, said: “We have been delighted by the support of so many amazing partners across the North East, enabling us to meet the incredible demand from local schools and grow our footprint in the region. This showcase was a fantastic opportunity for students to proudly share the amazing projects they’ve developed to address real-world sustainability issues. Every single participant should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved.”

Dr Stephen Blenkinsop, Senior Lecturer, Newcastle University and one of the judges added: “All the teams from across the North East demonstrated the importance of tackling climate change and showed how green skills and knowledge will complement other skills like entrepreneurship, science, and art in the future. Watching the students present their ideas was hugely inspiring and lots of fun, and identifying winners from such a diverse range of high-quality ideas was extremely difficult but hugely encouraging!”

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Notes to Editors:

• About the Young Green Briton Challenge: The Young Green Briton Challenge supports youth-led climate action by nurturing school students' entrepreneurial skills to tackle the climate and nature crisis. It is run by Social Innovation for All CIC and GenEarth CIC. Find out more: https://www.si4a.net/ygbc

• North East Delivery: The program is delivered regionally by Dr. Meryl Batchelder, a leading climate educator.

• Media Contact: Kat Crisp, YGBC Co-founder, kat@si4a.net