More than 80 people enjoyed the first awards ceremony for Litter Angels – a competition aimed at encouraging young people to be proud of their environment.

The first category looked for children who had made an outstanding contribution towards keeping their school and surrounding area litter free, and caring for the environment.

The second competition was to design an anti-litter poster with two age groups in each competition – five to nine years and 10 to 13.

Each of the 30 finalists received a certificate and a book presented to them by Gordon Henderson, director of the Swale Community Action Project, which sponsored the competitions. The event was held at Sittingbourne Community College.

The winner in each group of the first competition was presented with a plaque and £20 worth of book tokens and the runners-up were presented with £10 worth of book tokens.

Results for outstanding contribution >>>

Poster competition winners were presented with a plaque and £20 worth of book tokens.

Regis Manor Community Primary School, which put forward the winning entry in both age groups, received £200 worth of book tokens.

The winning posters have been printed and will be distributed around the borough.

Copies of the winning posters have been framed and will be displayed at the Polka Dot Art Studio, Teynham.

Mr Henderson said: “The idea behind the competitions was to make children in our schools more aware of our local environment and encourage them to make Swale a litter free zone and I was delighted with the interest shown.

“My long-term ambition is to make this an annual event in which every school in Swale takes part.”