COP26 put Scottish Borders Council (SBC) on a “global platform”, a meeting has heard.

Pupils from several schools in the region attended the climate conference in Glasgow last year.

Students at Stow Primary School have been leading the way on climate awareness, picking up two Learning for Sustainability awards in November.

Ms Matthewson, who was joined at the meeting by a number of Stow students, said there was an opportunity to expand the sustainability message “throughout all our schools”.

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Tweeddale East councillor Robin Tatler said: “I’m hugely impressed with the work that you’re doing. It gives me a lot of hope for the future with our young people.

“However I would be really keen to see these young people encouraging their older peers to be a bit more responsible.

“There are young people who haven’t quite got the sustainability message yet. You only have to look around at the amount of rubbish that is deposited.”

Ms Matthewson said that while primary pupils are often engaged with the sustainability message, you “tend to lose them between 14 and 16” years of age when it becomes “uncool to be saving the planet”.

Carol Hamilton, SBC’s executive member for children and young people, said that the Stow pupils have “done the Borders proud”.