The Kick the Carbon sustainability campaign, jointly rolled out by Grant UK and Bath Rugby, has been well received by local primary schools. During the Spring, nine schools were visited with hundreds of schoolchildren enjoying the engaging sessions which aimed to educate and raise awareness about the environment.
At the beginning of the 2023/24 season, Grant UK became the Official Sustainability and Grassroots Partner of Premiership rugby team, Bath Rugby. As part of this partnership, Grant UK is not only supporting the club as it reduces its own carbon footprint but they are also working together to raise awareness about sustainability in the local community. This has included the rollout of their Kick the Carbon Grassroots Community Sustainability Programme which has been delivered to local schools during the first few months of this year.
Through this Programme, Bath Rugby and Grant UK visited nine primary schools in Wiltshire, Bath and the surrounding areas where they delivered both classroom-based and rugby-based activities for the children. Each fun-filled session was driven by educational objectives, helping the pupils to understand climate change and the ways we can reduce carbon emissions. In total, nearly 900 children from key stage 2 attended these Kick the Carbon sessions from the following schools: Rowde Church of England, Oldfield Park, Fynamore Primary, Seven Fields, Fitzmaurice Primary, St Paul’s Primary, Oliver Tomkins, Queen’s Crescent, and Combe Down.
The feedback shared by teachers and pupils has been incredibly positive, demonstrating an encouraging level of interest from future generations to protect the planet and be more environmentally friendly.
One teacher commented: “The Year 4 children all really enjoyed the time they spent with the Bath Rugby visitors that came to see them last term. The knowledge the children gained about sustainability, and then also having a chance to play some sport that day as well, was a really wonderful experience for them. The children took lots away from it all and for that we are really grateful."
Meanwhile, another teacher wrote: “The children were all fully engaged throughout the morning and had great fun during the in-class activity and the rugby session outside.”
Combining both classroom-based theory with rugby-themed activities ensured each session was engaging for all ages, something the children enjoyed and commented upon. “It was fun and interesting because we had the chance to do a science experiment that showed you about the different materials you can use to keep things warm,” said one pupil. Another said: “I liked the games we played outside.”
The varied ways in which we can all make changes to reduce carbon emissions resonated with the children with them taking away useful learning and knowledge from each session. “I found it interesting because we learned lots of facts about what to do instead of putting the heating on,” shared one pupil.
Another child wrote: “I found the experience very funny because they taught us how to not waste electricity and water but in a fun and humorous way.” Meanwhile, one Year 3 pupil said: “I really enjoyed learning about sustainability and how to save the environment.”
“We have been very pleased to help Bath Rugby deliver this Grassroots Community Sustainability Programme to children in the local areas close to the club and our Company Headquarters,” comments Anna Wakefield, Head of Internal Sales and Marketing at Grant UK. “Educating the next generation about the environment and what we can do to protect and preserve it is important and our Kick the Carbon initiative has helped raise awareness amongst lots of primary school children. The feedback shared by both the pupils and their teachers has been wonderful to receive, just going to show that there is a real interest amongst the younger generations to make a difference in the future.”
Bath Rugby’s Partnerships Manager, James Wiltshire, commented: “Grant UK are market leaders in sustainable heating solutions. Being a Grassroots Partner and the club’s Official Sustainability Partner, it made perfect sense to bring the two together.
“We worked closely with Grant UK to build a scheme that engaged and educated children in the local area about the importance of sustainability, whilst also getting them active. The feedback from the children and teachers alike has shown the impact the scheme has had, whilst also highlighting how conscious the next generation are about protecting our planet.”
For further information, please visit www.grantuk.com/kickthecarbon.
**Update 9th December 2024**
Grant UK's Kick the Carbon programme with Bath Rugby was awarded Highly Commended at the Energy Saving Awards 2024 in the category for Energy Awareness Campaign of the Year 2024.
