TWO former Whitchurch pupils welcomed the MP for North West Hampshire to Whitchurch for a community environment event last week.

More than 50 people attended the event at All Hallows’ Church Rooms last Friday, in which Kit Malthouse fielded questions on the government’s efforts to clean up the environment.

The event, led by former Testbourne Community School pupils Anna Jay and Zara Crapper, also showcased local environment groups and initiatives, and encouraged people to reduce their carbon footprint.

Mr Malthouse gave an update to those present on the government’s environmental work, including its efforts to phase out coal power, the creation of hundreds of thousands of low carbon jobs and the introduction of laws to cut emissions by 100 per cent.

Speaking after the event, he said: “It was a great and lively discussion and I was very pleased to be invited by Anna and Zara who gave a brilliant presentation.

“I was glad to have the opportunity to update local people about what the government is doing to help the environment and the progress we are making as a country.

“I’m pleased to report that our share of global CO2 emissions is now 1 per cent, compared to India’s 7 per cent, the USA’s 16 per cent and China’s 29 per cent.

“We’ve already had 1,500 hours in 2019 without burning coal, and thanks to our investment in clean energy and many thousands of low carbon jobs, we are slashing our emissions while growing the economy.

“Of course, there is a lot more to be done to clean up our environment and we must prioritise this if we are to leave this world in a better condition than we found it for our future generations.”