An Okehampton resident and local eco-warrior left her previous job at Okehampton Primary School to focus on improving the town’s carbon footprint.

Frances ’Fran’ Rickwood, who works at St James Primary School, is already a central figure in Okehampton’s bid to become a greener place but has now voiced the possibility of leaving her role to concentrate on environmental matters full time.

She said: ’I was Okehampton Primary School’s eco-coordinator for many years, then suddenly you know, times changed and money got a bit tight and the bad news came, ’sorry Fran, we need you in the classroom’, so I went back to being a teaching assistant. But it wasn’t my passion and I missed it so much. I thought I’ve got to get back into this. I’m 59 and I was always going to retire at 60 so I thought "what’s the point in staying and waiting to retire? Why don’t I leave now but dedicate the next year to try and do as much environmental stuff as I can in the community?" So that’s what I did.’

Fran is currently organising St James Primary School’s collection of plastic containers as part of Devon Contract Waste’s Recycle and Raise scheme to encourage people to recycle plastics with a PP5 or HDPE2 triangle such as confectionary and ice cream tubs, takeaway containers and milk bottle lids.

Raise and Recycle runs until the end of February when Devon Contract Waste will collect the materials to recycle. Any money made will go to Devon Mind and Dartmoor Zoo.

Fran is also hoping to encourage contributions to the Show the Love campaign in February.

The campaign challenges individuals to create a green heart in any form which will be sent to the local MP to encourage them to ask the Prime Minister for more immediate action on climate change.

Fran is meeting with a felter so that Okehampton residents can create naturally-dyed felt hearts to send to MP Mel Stride.