Cardiff schoolchildren boycott plastic red noses for Comic Relief to protect environment

‘The plastic noses can really harm nature’

A group of schoolchildren have said they're not going to wear red noses in aid of Comic Relief due to the detrimental effect plastic can have on the environment.

The students, who attend Ysgol Treganna in Cardiff, Wales, have decided to paint their noses red instead for Red Nose Day in order to raise money for charity.

A pupil called Mia wrote a letter to her school asking that the academic institution encourage all its students to follow suit.

"I wrote a letter to the school suggesting we don't wear red noses as I thought it was a good idea because it's made of plastic and it goes into the sea and harms sea life," Mia told the BBC.

Fellow student called Tomos echoed his classmate's sentiments, saying: "The plastic noses are only used for one day and after that they are binned which can really harm nature."

Another pupil called Bethan explained her reasoning for opting to paint her nose red instead of wearing a plastic red nose, saying that there "are not many uses" for the red nose, which is why wearing one can be a waste.

"It's just there to put on your nose for a day and I don't think you're going to walk around every day with a red nose," she added.

The first Red Nose Day was held in 1988, when comedian and co-founder of Comic Relief Lenny Henry celebrated the event with a group of children in Ethiopa.

More than 150 celebrities and comedians also took part in the event, and more than 30 million viewers watched it on TV.

Red Nose Day raised more than £15m in its inaugural year.

Comic Relief has stated that it admires the Cardiff schoolchildren for taking a stand against plastic pollution.

"We of course respect the students' decision and are excited they are still supporting Red Nose Day by painting their noses red and fundraising," a spokesperson for the charity told The Independent.

"We are working with our corporate partners and a responsible sourcing consultancy to explore alternatives and solutions for the future."

The spokesperson also said while it doesn't view its merchandise as "single-use items", it does "recognise our responsibility to ensure that all of our campaign products which raise so much for good causes are as environmentally friendly as possible".

"We have removed and reduced plastics from a range of merchandise to date," they added.

Pupils at Fourlanesend School in Cornwall recently announced that they'd also be refraining from wearing plastic red noses on Red Nose Day, an affirmation that received praise from environmentalist Sir David Attenborough.

According to Cornwall Live, students at the school were "absolutely buzzing" to receive a letter from the renowned nature TV presenter.