Every school in the Western Isles is set to cash in on a competition to recycle as many old Yellow Pages directories as they can.

Kirk meets children from Stornoway Primary School, along with Sharon Mackinnon, Waste Aware Team

The Yellow Woods Challenge is the environmental schools competition run by Yellow Pages, working with the Woodland Trust and the Waste Aware Western Isles Team, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

Schools that collect the most directories per pupil will win hundreds of pounds in cash prizes and for every pound awarded to schools, Yellow Pages will give a matching pound to the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.

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. Schoolchildren are also invited to create giant sculptures out of their old directories for the chance to win cash prizes of up to £1,000.

The Western Isles Challenge starts in May, with the new edition of the Yellow Pages directory being delivered to homes and businesses around the 30th. The Challenge will run until June 14th 2006 and the directories will then be produced into compost by the Council at the new Creed Park Environmental Centre in Stornoway.

Sharon Mackinnon and Rona Womersley, Waste Aware Team with Kirk and pupils from Balivanich School

Residents are encouraged to give their old 04/05 edition to their nearest participating school or recycle it via their kerbside collection, specially branded banks, or by composting them.

Sharon MacKinnon, project officer for the Council, said: “We hope schools will get on really well in the recycling challenge and, with the help of the local community, beat last year’s total of 3,173 directories collected.”

Richard Duggleby, head of external relations at Yell, the publisher of Yellow Pages, said: “This is the fourth year that we have run the Challenge nationally and the enthusiasm and results among schools and local authorities continues to grow. It’s a simple and fun way for children to learn about the importance of recycling and their local environment.”

For more information visit: www.yellow-woods.co.uk or contact Sharon Mackinnon on the Waste Aware Helpline on 01851 709900.

For media enquiries, please contact Sharon MacKinnon on 01851 709900 or call Liz Vaughan, Yell Press Office, on 0118 950 6325.

Notes to editors

Participating schools to date:
The following schools have signed up for the Western Isles Yellow Woods Challenge:

All 40 schools in the Western Isles

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