The Stackpole for Outdoor Learning Centre celebrated receiving their Platinum Eco Centre Award recently, the first eco centre to be awarded this in Wales.

To celebrate their success the Centre staff held an eco party on the National Trust's Stackpole Estate and invited pupil representatives of school eco forums to join them.

Pupils from Stackpole, Golden Grove and Manorbier joined Llysfaen School from Cardiff to enjoy a full morning of activities

Education officer Rhian Sula said: "We encourage schools visiting the Centre at Stackpole to take environmental issues, look at solutions and then apply them to the day-to-day experience during their stay with us. We are thrilled with this award and are keen to celebrate our success with some of the groups that have been involved in achieving this."

Pupils took part in environmental games, completed conservation tasks and held an eco forum, all in the estate's historic Lodge Park woodland.

The activities were designed to provide the pupils with fun tasks, but with sustainability and environmental themes.

Deputy head of Llysfaen School, Louisa Rowland, said: "This is our sixth year at Stackpole and the visits get better and better every year. We are excited about coming to the new centre next year and feel privileged to be invited to this celebration for the eco centre award."

Gerry Taylor, eco schools officer for Keep Wales Tidy, attended the party to present the award to the Stackpole for Outdoor Learning staff.

"We are extremely proud to see continued sustainable development at Stackpole over the last 10 years. This award is well deserved," he said.

Eco centres look at various themes: Litter, waste and healthy living being just a few. Participants take key roles in decision making in order to reduce their own environmental impact.

In this way, eco centre's extend learning beyond their boundaries and develop responsible citizenship attitudes both at home and in the wider community.

Stackpole for Outdoor Learning first registered as an eco centre in 2000, gaining their green flags in 2003, 2005, 2008 and now their fourth, the platinum in 2011.

The eco party celebration ended with a barbeque for pupils, teachers and Stackpole staff in the grounds of the old Manor House, complete with bright green eco centre award cake.

Pupils from Stackpole School took the sustainability theme of the day to heart and decided to walk from their school to the eco party and back to school after the event.