THOUGHTFUL schoolchildren have taken it upon themselves to clean up their local park and look after wildlife in the process.

Year 6 pupils at Acomb Primary School decided to hang bird feeders and build small nests, put in bird baths and clear pathways around West Bank Park of slippery leaves.

The Community Action project, which was part of Archbishop of York Trust's Young Leaders Award, was organised by Year 6 teachers Kerry Johnson and Amber Shanahan, but it was the children who thought up the various animal-friendly projects.

Mrs Johnson said: "The slogan for the award is "Be the change you want to see", so we went to our local park and from there they have completely led the project.

"When we first worked through the park they decided to what they wanted to do and took it from there.

"One group made bird feeders, others made houses for little birds to nest in, others cleaned the pond up and another cleared the path of leaves because they thought leaving it could be dangerous.

"I've spoken to them about it and they told me they feel a much bigger sense of responsibility and feel they can do things without adults doing it for them."

The project encourages children to take more responsibility and carry out various tasks both at home and inside the classroom.

This saw the Year 6 pupils bake cakes for charities close to their home, emptying neighbours' bins and pick litter up.

Mrs Johnson added: "I've taken a step back and got them to lead the changes.

"I'm getting them to do some writing about it and how they feel but they have had weeks of learning about responsibility and leadership qualities."

More than 22,000 youngsters from 220 schools take part in the Young Leaders Award.