Local Community Information

Faith in an important part of our school community; we accept our peers and understand that everyone has different beliefs and the right to believe what they choose. 12th November is the start of Inter-Faith week. Click on the link below to find activities in our area.

Recycling Used Batteries – Brighton Avenue Primary School Eco-team

Great news! The Eco-team now have in our school a ‘battery recycling tube’ which can collect and store used batteries. If you have any used household batteries, please hand your used batteries to any member of staff in Brighton Avenue Primary School. (Please see examples of the posters below: they are also in classroom windows/doors).

The Eco-team decided how important it was to recycle batteries because we can help protect the environment.

Batteries are super cool. But did you know they contain a bunch of unpleasant chemicals that are bad for us? That’s why it’s important to recycle batteries. If they’re put in a landfill, they might be burned with the other rubbish, releasing chemicals into the air, or they might be left to decompose, letting the chemicals into the soil.

Why is recycling batteries so important?

Batteries can be found in every room in the house. They are used in electrical and electronic items, for example: toys, remote controls, mobile phones, alarm clocks and even doorbells. In fact, every person in Britain uses about 10 batteries a year! 

Thousands of tonnes of CO₂ (carbon dioxide) emissions could be avoided if the UK meets its recycling targets. In the UK, around 40,000 tonnes of portable batteries were sold in 2020, with only around 18,000 tonnes being recycled.

Most batteries are put into rubbish bins and then taken to landfill sites. There are different types of batteries which can contain dangerous chemicals including: lead, cadmium, zinc, lithium and even mercury. When batteries begin to rot away in landfill sites these chemicals may leak into the ground, which can cause soil and water pollution. When chemicals contaminate soil and water animals, humans and the environment can be harmed. For this reason, placing them in your general waste bin is not a safe option, as a batteries harmful contents could return to our water supplies or start a bin fire!

Recycling is a great way to help protect the environment. Each battery placed in a recycling bin will be taken apart and the materials will be used to make something new. If you have any used household batteries, please hand your used batteries to any member of staff in Brighton Avenue Primary School.

Thank you so much; recycling is one of the easiest and most effective ways to take care of our planet!

Mrs Kevan and the Eco-team.

BENSHAM COMMUNITY FOOD CO-OP

Bensham Community Food Co-op is a partnership of several local Gateshead charities that have been running a different sort of food bank since April 2016. We wanted to set something up that is run by the people who benefit from the food and to provide as much fresh food as possible as well as an element of choice.

We do not want to compete with existing food banks and, if you currently give your time or make donations to them please continue to do so. If you like the idea of something that’s run on different lines, that tries to involve the people who use it and offer them choice and healthier eating options then please consider donating some items to us. Even one or two things will help us to help others.

We need donations of:-

Vegetable oil

Dried lentils or split pea

Basmati Rice

Pasta

Tinned pulses and beans

Plain Flour, Gram Flour, Chapati Flour

Tinned tomatoes

Sugar

Coffee

Tea

But will accept donations of any tins / packets or dried goods

Your donation will make a big difference. Thank you

Donations are now being accepted at the school office.