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Part of the award won by Thales was a cash prize of £1000, which the company matched with a further £1000. The £2,000 was then donated to Maidenbower Junior School during their visit to the Thales site to enable the school to install environmentally friendly solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate electricity

PV panels use energy from the sun to create electricity to run appliances and lighting. PV requires only daylight, not direct sunlight to generate electricity and so can still generate some power on a cloudy day.

The donation was made to Chris Murphy, head teacher of Maidenbower Junior School, and the Eco Reps by Marion Broughton, Managing Director of Thales' training and simulation business in Crawley. Anna Buckingham from Crawley Borough Council's Environment Department also attended the site visit.

Maidenbower Junior School holds a ‘green flag' for the school's successful participation in the Eco-Schools award programme. During the last two years pupils, staff, parents and governors have worked to reduce the school's impact on the environment both locally and globally. The participation of the children has been a crucial part of the project's continuing success. They have halved the amount of waste produced by the each week and substantially reduced the amount of electricity and gas consumed each month. The children have planted trees and shrubs as well as hundreds of bulbs, while the daily litter patrols ensure that the school's extensive grounds are kept clean and tidy.

During the visit to the Thales site the school children were able to see the various aircraft simulators that are manufactured in Crawley and find out about the environmental benefits inherent in using simulation for pilot training rather than a real aircraft.

Managing Director Marion Broughton says: "Maidenbower Junior School is doing a terrific job helping children understand the importance of the environment. I hope that the EcoReps visit to Thales UK, a business that has a strong environmental focus, provides further inspiration."

Chris Murphy, Headmaster of Maidenbower Junior School, was pleased the students had been given the opportunity to see Thales UK's activities. "We were all quite amazed by the work that Thales does here in Crawley," he said.