More than 200 students and teachers from 15 different schools attended the latest Hampshire Climate Conference.

The event at Winchester College was organised by the Hampshire Youth Parliament and is the third annual conference of its kind.

The aim is to "empower young minds to drive local environmental change".

The one-day event consisted of a variety of plenary sessions and interactive workshops, catering to students ranging from primary to GCSE level.

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More than 200 students and teachers from 15 different schools attended the latest Hampshire Climate Conference (Image: Winchester College) There were workshops on topics such as sustainable packaging, plastic pollution in our seas and grassroots climate change adaptations.

Students also participated in hands-on activities, including sampling river invertebrates, conducting ecological surveys and tackling an ecology-based escape room.

A Year 9 pupil from Meoncross School said: "We really enjoyed it. The day was very informative and enjoyable, especially the session about the health and sustainability of our waterways.

"I particularly loved the escape room session run by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. We worked as a team to find the cleanest point on the Itchen River to release our specimen.

"Learning about the environment is crucial for our generation. Thank you to the Hampshire Youth Parliament for organising the day."

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Students participated in hands-on activities (Image: Winchester College) Hampshire Youth Parliament's biennial youth consultation, Make Your Mark, received 25,000 votes earlier this year, reaffirming the environment as the top priority for the county's young people.

Ed, a youth MP representing East Hampshire, said: "This was my first conference as a youth MP.

"Everything went smoothly, and the group of children I was helping seemed to really enjoy the experience. I could see them learning in real time, which was incredible. Everyone was engaged, and it was a fantastic experience, very well run."

The conference was supported by the community outreach team at Winchester College and various environmental organisations including Final Straw Foundation, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Wessex Rivers, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), Dorset Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Environment Agency, Cameron Bespolka Trust and Southampton Friends of the Earth.