Children’s Pictures Draw Attention To Protecting The Oceans

Children from Tanner Brook Primary School, Millbrook, Jacob Kean-Hammerson of Blue Marine Foundation and DP World’s Nick Loader celebrate their pledge to protect the Solent

As part of DP World’s global partnership with the BLUE Marine Foundation, the global trade enabler has been working with the charitable foundation to help restore oysters to the Solent.

BLUE’s Solent Oyster Regeneration Project aims to restore oyster beds in the Solent because oysters are marine eco-system engineers and help maintain a healthy marine environment.

DP World purchased and gifted a storage container to the Foundation which is used to house all the equipment they need for this project and is kept securely at its terminal in Southampton.

Life below water is one of the United Nation’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDG) to transform our world.

To celebrate Global UN SDG week (21 – 30 September), DP World Southampton asked children from Tanners Brook Primary School in Millbrook – one of the local schools the business delivers an education programme to annually – to create ocean-themed drawings to decorate the container.

All sixty-eight of the children’s drawings were blown up and made into a huge piece of artwork that was wrapped around the container.

On Tuesday 17th September, Nick Loader, DP World’s UK Chief Operating Officer hosted a visit from some of the children to see the new container and their drawings.

As part of the visit, Nick and the children signed a pledge ‘to protect our oceans’ which is permanently incorporated into the container’s artwork.

Nick Loader, UK Chief Operating Officer, DP World said “ For us, sustainability means being a good corporate citizen and a trustworthy partner. In the long run, we can only be successful as a business if we act with integrity, trust and respect in our everyday operations. This goes far beyond complying with mandatory requirements. It is about creating an impact on society. Being able to involve the children from a local school in such as creative way and engage them in the importance of looking after our local marine environment is invaluable.”

Nicki Parker, Year 3 Teacher, Tanner Brook says: “The children loved learning about the marine project and were desperate to see their pictures on the container. Our partnership with DP World Southampton has become an important part of our year three curriculum and something the children thoroughly enjoy and remember.”

Jacob Kean-Hammerson, Solent Project Coordinator, Blue Marine Foundation says: "It is massively encouraging to see DP World being pro-active in working with Tanners Brook school to raise awareness about the importance of oysters and the UK’s inshore marine environment".