Manchester United Foundation participants have been celebrating a year of fantastic work on the Eco Reds programme with a celebratory event at Old Trafford.

Earlier this year, students from across our partner schools who had shown a prior interest in environment and sustainability topics were nominated to become ‘Eco Reds’, who would gain knowledge from Foundation sessions to help protect the planet.

Throughout the past year, Eco Reds students have attended events with multiple eco-friendly activities, helping them to develop their understanding in the environment and sustainability space, and pass that knowledge onto younger generations of pupils within their school – who could later become Eco Reds themselves in the future.

This latest celebration saw more than 100 young people descend on The Theatre of Dreams, with Year 5 and 6 students from four partner primary schools, Year 7 and 8 students from 13 partner high schools, and a mix of participants from six of our partner SEND (special educational needs) schools all getting involved.

The young people had the opportunity to plant their own strawberry seeds after creating their own recycled plant-pots, create ‘bug’ stadiums from recycled materials to place in their schools’ outdoor spaces, and take part in workshops with adidas, including designing sustainable football shirts.

Niccola Massey, Student Life Skills Manager for the Foundation, said: “We’ve welcomed back our Eco Reds participants to Old Trafford who have been working throughout our partner schools during this academic year.

“We’re working collaboratively with the young people to not only celebrate their work, but engaging with them so they are learning about new ideas and potential opportunities that they can take back to their schools.

“Having those inspirational members of Foundation staff in their schools, helping them and educating them on what they can do, and how they can do their bit, it gives them that sense of belonging being an Eco Red.”

Eco Reds forms part of our Premier League Inspires programme delivery. Premier League Inspires uses the power of football to inspire young people aged 11-18 to develop personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.

The students took plenty from the experience as Year 7 pair Isabella and Saffron, from Manchester Enterprise Academy Central, demonstrated while reflecting on the celebration event.

Saffron said: “I really enjoyed how creative it was here with Man United Foundation and Eco Reds, it was fun.

“You get to explore a lot more things that are going on around the world. It’s good that the Foundation supports eco-friendly projects; because of climate change, eco-friendly things like this are important to raise awareness.”

Isabella said: “The activities are inspirational and inclusive for everyone. It’s important because not everyone might feel that they have the right to speak up when really they do, everyone’s voice matters.”

Meanwhile, Sandu, a Year 8 student at Manchester Enterprise Academy, added: “I’ve learnt how pollution affects our lives and how we should improve, by not littering and using reusable plastics to protect plant life, sea life and things like that.”

And Abdullah, 12, from Dean Trust Ardwick, took inspiration – and a valuable lesson – from the activity in which students were tasked with creating plant pots from recycled milk bottles.

Abdullah said: “I’m going to make sure that whenever I get a plastic bottle, not to throw it in the bin straightaway, because you can keep it with you and make something else out of it.”