Iona is a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group and a Parish Councillor for Norton Fitzwarren, which has given her a fantastic opportunity to collaborate their local Primary School to help keep the village clean.
As a Parish Councillor for Norton Fitzwarren, one of my roles is Youth Representative and I also want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy our village to its maximum potential. Earlier in July, I engaged with Norton Fitzwarren Church School to organise for a school trip to do some litter picking.
We went to the Hill Fort which is just a short walk from the school and we were out for about 45 minutes just after school started so were able to make the most of the nice weather.
The children led the way up to the fort and ended up collecting half a bag full of all sorts; everything from drink cans to a pair of goggles, to toys – and inevitably some leaves. Thankfully nature’s litter is designed to take care of itself but it is all of our responsibility to take care of our own litter! The outing helped us all understand the importance of ensuring our village is a clean and welcoming place for everyone to be, which is a shared goal of the Parish Council and the school.
It was a pleasure to meet with the pupils, and their behaviour and attitude was lovely to see, reflective of the school’s ethos of working together like a family. Thank you to the teachers and students who were able to participate.
This is just one example of the Parish Council’s collaboration with the school over the last year. I’ve been privileged to deliver a couple of assemblies, introducing the school to the concept of the Parish Council and what we do and comparing it to the work of the school’s own Student Council. I was also able to organise with the Parish Council and Village Hall to invite the school’s Student Council for a tour of the Village Hall in March, which proved to be an interesting opportunity for them to learn about local history.
We hope to organise more events with the school in the future – the first one will probably be another litter pick following the summer holidays, but let’s all work together to do our bit to keep the village clean and tidy!
Iona Taylor
Parish Councillor and Youth Representative
Norton Fitzwarren Parish Council
Not just elected members
Did you know that Somerset Youth Parliament isn’t just it’s elected members? Any young person in Somerset aged 10-25 years can become a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group.
For more information about becoming a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group and to join, visit our Join Us page.
