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Epping Forest Youth Council and members of the Brighton & Hove Youth Council teamed up to clean the beach at Hove in Sussex.
The 2 groups of young people met for the first time in person on Tuesday 17 August 2021 to pick up litter on Hove beach. They had only previously met in virtual meetings on Zoom.
Care about the environment
The young councillors from Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) and Brighton & Hove City Council (B&H) share common concerns about the climate emergency.
The idea to take part in a beach clean came from this shared interest and highlights how litter pollutes the streams and rivers, and eventually reaches the ocean.
Overall the youth councillors were pleased to see that the beaches were reasonably clean. The recent cooler weather has meant the beaches are relatively empty and remain rubbish free.
Tackle a big issue
Epping Forest Youth Councillor, Daniel Turner from Debden Park High School said:
Getting to finally meet other youth councillors and tackle a big issue was great.
The group were joined on the litter pick by Deputy Leader of Brighton & Hove Council Councillor Hannah Clare, Director of Families, Children & Learning at B&H Deb Austin, B&H Officers Rob Scoble and Tracie James, and EFDC’s Young Person’s Officer Diane Butler and Young Person’s Assistant Wendy Cockbill.
Other projects
Brighton & Hove Youth Council have been working with the Youth Climate Assembly and local schools to organise a Q&A session with local politicians.
Epping Forest Youth Councillors are organising a youth conference to take place in November which will focus on Climate Change.
They have organised a local litter pick in Chigwell during October half term.
Links with Brighton & Hove
This partnership between both youth councils came from B&H Deputy Leader Councillor Hannah Clare, who had previously worked with EFDC officer, Diane Butler at Harlow Council. Councillor Hannah Clare was a member of Harlow Youth Council from 2006 to 2010.
She said how important her youth council work was to her and wanted to encourage the 2 youth councils to come together to share their experiences and interest in Climate Change.
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