Longsight Sunflower kids give it a grow

Green-fingered youngsters from St Richards and Stanley Grove Schools are being invited to grow the city’s largest sunflower as part of a scheme to help them understand the environmental benefits of using compost.

The keen junior gardeners will plant the sunflowers and tend to them over an eight-week period to see who can grow the tallest plant, and the winning youngster's school will receive prizes such as money to spend on new equipment.

The contest - to be run across 25 primary schools - has been organised by Manchester City Council's recycling team as part of a scheme to educate pupils about the environmental benefits of using compost.

Around 30 per cent of people use compost at home, and composting for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to the amount a kettle produces in a year, or a washing machine produces in three months.

Longsight Councillor Suzanne Richards said: "We are already ahead of the game in Longsight as the city’s pilot for the new food recycling scheme. Composting is a fantastic way to look after the environment and we hope that through schemes like this, youngsters will appreciate its benefits, and in turn encourage their parents to give it a go."

Anyone with outside space at home can create free compost by reusing their food waste at home. Residents can visit www.greatermanchester.getcomposting.com for handy tips on how to get the most out of their compost and enrich their garden.