Adam and Ollie recognised in environmental competition

Adam and Ollie recognised in environmental competition

18 December 2024

THE winners of this year’s Newry, Mourne and Down Council schools’ environmental poster competition gathered recently at the local authority’s headquarters in Downpatrick.

The awards were presented by council chairman Pete Byrne.

Managed by the council’s sustainability team, the annual competition asked primary and secondary school pupils across the district to design an eye-catching poster on an environmental topic of their own choice.

Cllr Byrne presented the winners with a framed copy of their winning poster and a gift voucher. 

Two of the winning posters, designed by Ollie Kearney from St Malachy’s Primary School in Castlewellan and Maciej Libera from Newry’s Abbey Christian Brothers School, will now be showcased on a billboard in Newry and Downpatrick early next year.

The primary school winners are Anna-Rose McNeill (St Moninna’s Primary School, Cloughoge), Adam Briggs (Glasswater Primary School, Crossgar), Ollie Kearney (St Malachy’s Primary School, Castlewellan), Cate Coffey (St Colman’s Primary School, Saval) and Rebecca Rodgers (St Dallan’s Primary School, Warrenpoint).

Secondary school winners are Naomi Gamble (Kilkeel High School) Hannah Begley (Sacred Heart Grammar, Newry), Maciej Libera (Abbey Christian Brothers School, Newry), Emer O’Neill (St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook) and Aíobh McGrath (St Mary’s High School, Newry).

Cllr Byrne congratulated all the pupils on their success. 

And reflecting on the importance of each of the winning designs he said the winning poster designs covered some very crucial topics such as climate change, the problem of single use plastic and the damaging litter which it creates.

“It is reassuring for me as first citizen of this council to know that these topics are high in our young people’s thoughts,” he said.

“Your involvement in competitions like this, along with programmes such as Eco-Schools, is vitally important and I encourage you to continue to be champions for the environment.”

Cllr Byrne added: “A special word of congratulations to Ollie and Maciej. I look forward to seeing their designs up on billboards in 2025 helping to raise awareness of the important issues of plastic pollution and climate change.”