Everything's gone green for Maisie

A SCHOOL pupil is celebrating after being named as a finalist in the British Gas Generation Green competition.

Masie Patron from Trinity Primary School

Maisie Patron, age 10, is in with the chance to win an energy makeover worth up to £50,000 for her school, Trinity Primary School, after her comic strip has been shortlisted from hundreds of entries across Scotland.

Maisie has already won an iPad, a toy Wilbur and an Einstein tablet for her school.

More than 4,000 budding young artists from 123 schools across the country have entered the Generation Green Smarter Power competition. Schoolchildren aged 7-11 were asked to draw a cartoon showing British Gas mascot, Wilbur, and how smart meters can help them save energy.

British Gas is leading the smart meter roll-out, and the Government wants every household to be offered smart meters by 2020.

With smart meters, people can see how much gas and electricity they are using and the cost in pounds and pence, which can help them take control of their energy use. The Generation Green Smarter Power competition aims to get children thinking creatively about how they use and save energy so they better understand the benefits of smart meters.

The winning comic strip will be chosen by a panel of judges who have shortlisted the entries, including Nigel Parkinson, artist at the world-famous comic, The Beano.

There has been a wide range of imaginative comic strip entries with 11 entries going into the final. The entries have shown energy saving ideas, such as boiling only the amount of water needed in a kettle, having shorter showers and managing heating more effectively to save money.

Nigel Parkinson said: “It was very hard sifting through all the great entries, they all showed imagination, humour and talent. We had an exceptionally hard job whittling it down to the final few. Very well done to every finalist and I wish them good luck!”

Aisling Griffiths, teacher at Trinity Primary School, said: “We’re delighted one of our pupil’s comic strips is being entered into the Generation Green final.

“Our pupils have really enjoyed learning about energy efficiency and using what they learned creatively for the competition. The possibility of winning an energy makeover is great news for the school.”
Catherine O’Kelly leads the smart meter roll-out at British Gas and is one of the Generation Green judges. She said: “Congratulations to all of the talented young people for reaching the British Gas Generation Green final. We were delighted by the huge number of entries and impressed by the extremely high standard. We really enjoyed seeing the children’s creative interpretation of how to save energy with smart meters.”

The winner will also get a trip to London to visit the Science Museum.