Schools across Nottingham will be taking their lessons to the water as they carry out a clean up of Nottingham canal.

On Tuesday March 11 pupils from Scotholme Primary, Stanstead Primary, Robert Shaw Primary and Ambleside Primary School will take to cleaning the canal as part of the City Council’s Big Spring Clean campaign which aims to make the city a cleaner and greener place.

Nottingham City Council has teamed up with The Arches Adventure Base and the Narrow Boat Project to fund and run the day long event aimed at getting young people involved in water based adventurous activities whilst raising their awareness of the problems arising from litter and waste.

Pupils will work in teams of five in open top Canadian canoes, spending a morning or afternoon having fun, learning to canoe and raft building whilst removing litter from in and around the canal.

The Arches Adventure Base and staff from Nottingham City Council’s Street Scene have already visited the schools to contact health and safety briefings and introduce the pupils to the equipment they will be using on the day.

As a reward for their efforts the children will get the opportunity to chat with Notts County goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington about his life and experiences in football who will be attending the clean up.

Environmental film and animation experts Carley and Martin will then spend half a day with each of the four participating schools looking at the impact of litter on the aquatic environment.

Pupils will work in small groups to use cameras, computers, rubbish and moving collage, to create simple stop-motion animations. The young people will be involved in every part of the process – making backgrounds, developing the story and creating characters, then using the lights, cameras, computers and their imaginations to bring it all to life.

A short animation based around the environmental impact of waste and litter will then be produced to be used as a resource for other schools.

To get involved in this year’s Big Spring Clean campaign or if you have any ideas that could help make Nottingham cleaner and greener please phone 0115 915 2000 or email bigspringclean@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.

All media are welcome to attend the clean up on Tuesday March 11 for photography and filming opportunities from 10am until 12.30pm or 13.00 until 15.30pm. The group will start the session on the canal near the Old Navigation Pub. Contact on the day will be Paul Goodburn on 07855 465 897.

Click here for further information on the Big Spring Clean