A TEAM of young footballers from Kelvedon helped create their own competition medals - from recycled plastic bottles.

Kelvedon St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy were one of 3,000 schools to take part in the ESFA Danone Nations Cup and team members contributed to a world first by recycling their bottles on the spot to create the medals.

The technique, which crushes and heats the small pieces of plastic to form a mass of material which can be reformed, will be utilised with mobile phones at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Marie Wendling, PR and events manager at Danone, said: “Not only did we celebrate the best footballing talent from the South East, but Kelvedon St Mary’s Church of England Primary Academy also took part in a world first for recycling.

"We hope this will inspire the children, teach them about the importance of recycling, and help bring about a change in behaviour when they next throw away their plastic bottles.”

The ESFA Danone Nations Cup is a Fifa approved tournament and is part of the company's programme of support for healthy lifestyles in youngsters.