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At the beginning of the summer holidays and the cleanliness of Welsh beaches under the spotlight, pupils from Neyland Community School have been awarded for their work to ensure their local beach is in top condition for the summer - a project which has been recognised through Pembrokeshire's Sustainable Schools partnership.

To mark 20 years of the partnership between the Museum and schools in Pembrokeshire, Amgueddfa Cymru teamed up with Chevron to arrange a fantastic prize for this years' special innovation award - a free school trip studying local nature with Museum scientists.

The aim of the award is to encourage schools to share new and interesting activities relating to sustainability and Neyland Community School was chosen for its local beach project. Pupils at the Pembrokeshire school have been working with their community to become official guardians of their local beach through holding regular clean-ups.

"I like to explore the beach, there's an old boat there and lobster pots," said Leanie from Neyland Community School. "I enjoy seeing my friends and walking along the stony beaches picking up all the litter."

Blake agrees: "It's just really fun waking up early in the morning to pick up litter and help our environment. So we can play safely on the beaches, instead of standing on glass. It was great to win the award."

The prize was set up by SCAN - a Museum's learning resource which helps schools develop sustainability schemes.

"We wanted to do something special this year to note the fact we've now been working with Pembrokeshire schools since 1989 and are delighted to be able to award Neyland Community School for their efforts in respecting and protecting their own environment," said Danielle Cowell, SCAN Project Manager, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales.

"The judges were really impressed by the community spirit that had been built-up by Neyland, they had really taken pride in protecting their own locality and that is a vital part of sutainable living."

Jane James, Policy, Government and Public Affairs Manager at Chevron's Pembroke refinery, added:

"The refinery has been involved with SCAN since its earliest days and we are delighted to support this project. Partnership is a key concept in the refinery's Community Engagement programme and the pupils of Neyland Community School demonstrated the value of partnerships with their fantastic beach clean project."

Admission to Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales sites is free thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Amgueddfa Cymru operates seven national museums across Wales. These are National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

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For further information, images or interview opportunities, please contact Catrin Mears, Communications Officer on (029) 2057 3185 or email catrin.mears@museumwales.ac.uk.