CHILDREN gave up their spare time for a spring spruce-up of a popular area close to their homes in Lowestoft.Members of the award-winning Eco-Schools action team at Foxborough Middle School got together after lessons ended last Friday to tidy-up the small wooded area by Slater's Pit, off Monckton Avenue.

CHILDREN gave up their spare time for a spring spruce-up of a popular area close to their homes in Lowestoft.

Members of the award-winning Eco-Schools action team at Foxborough Middle School got together after lessons ended last Friday to tidy-up the small wooded area by Slater's Pit, off Monckton Avenue.

And after less than an hour of litter picking, they had collected two big bin-bags full of rubbish.

The green-fingered youngsters found some 'very odd stuff' that had been dumped in the woods, according to teacher and Eco-Schools co-ordinator at Foxborough Jerildine Lines.

'We found discarded items such as umbrellas, rucksacks, bags of beer cans, bottles of drink, parts of cars, lots and lots of baked bean tins, bags of soil, quite a few broken glass bottles and oddly just one shoe!' Miss Lines said.

'The 10 children were actually quite pleased that we could litter pick this area as many of them live around here and play in the woods and around the pond. They were happy to be able to care for their local community and it has a direct impact on them as they can now play in the woods without so much rubbish around,' she added.

After the clean-up, the 'bulging bin bags' were taken to the nearby council depot for the rubbish to be disposed of.

The children who attended were: Ellica Aitken, Davina Harrison, Charlotte Jarvis, Reece Challen, Liam Studd, Nicky Merchant,

Lloyd Bullent, Sheryl Bucknole, Daniella Harrison and Rubee Challen with teachers Miss Lines and Miss Hood also in attendance.