WASTE AWARE WESTERN ISLES officer, Sharon MacKinnon, has won a top national award for her work with local schools.

Earlier this year, Sharon organised the local Yellow Woods Challenge - a simple, educational and fun environmental campaign run by Yellow Pages and the Woodland Trust working with the Waste Aware Western Isles Team, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

On November 25 at a ceremony at Conkers, a children’s activity centre in the National Forest, Derbyshire, Sharon was presented with the 'Silver Birch' award in the Yellow Woods Challenge UK Finals for her work in achieving the second highest number of directories recycled per pupil.

Following the ceremony, Sharon said: "I'm really pleased to accept this award on behalf of all the schools in the Western Isles that helped to recycle the directories. The children were extremely enthusiastic and their efforts really paid off - to be runner up in a national competition and the only Scottish authority to reach the finals is fantastic. Next year we'll be going for Gold!”

The Waste Aware Western Isles Team, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, is co-ordinating the local Yellow Woods Challenge 2006 which will take place from May to July next year. All participating schools will receive free educational materials featuring the campaign mascot, Kirk - a woodland creature that makes learning about recycling and the environment fun for children. For further information, please contact Sharon MacKinnon on 01851 709900.

Notes to editors:
A picture of Sharon collecting her award is available from Nigel Scott 01851 709389

Yellow Woods Challenge
The Yellow Woods Challenge is run by Yellow Pages, working with the Woodland Trust and local authorities across the UK. Kirk, the campaign mascot, is a cartoon characterisation of a woodland creature - he is a 'minibeast' that recycles leaf litter.

The Yellow Woods Challenge 2006 aims to involve 90 local authorities, 1,800 schools and 350,000 schoolchildren. The campaign aims to recycle old Yellow Pages directories and save landfill; educate children about the environment and support the Woodland Trust's ‘Tree For All’ tree planting campaign.

Schools collecting the most Yellow Pages directories per pupil win cash prizes from a total UK prize fund of £75,000. Locally, prizes worth £700 will be shared by schools in each participating local authority area. For every pound given to schools in cash prizes, a pound will be given to the Woodland Trust. The top six schools in an area will win native tree saplings to plant in their school ground. For further details, visit: www.yellow-woods.co.uk, email: yellow.woods@yellgroup.com or call 0118 950 6999.

Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust: The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free. Further news can be found at www.woodland-trust.org.uk/yell

For media enquiries contact: Ioan Reed-Aspley, corporate, PR & communications officer on 01476 581112, email ioanreedaspley@woodland-trust.org.uk or the Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121, e-mail media@woodland-trust.org.uk

Nigel Scott
Communications Officer
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Tel: 01851 709389 (Work)
Tel: 07884 236103 (Mobile)
email: nscott@cne-siar.gov.uk