Galway pupil presents prize-winning picture to Scottish First Minister at SSE Ireland HQ

School pupil Grace Hooper from St. Paul’s Secondary School in Oughterard, Co. Galway, presented her prize-winning photo ‘Snow-capped mountains, Connemara’ to First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and Ireland’s Climate Action Minister Denis Naughten at green energy provider SSE’s HQ in Dublin yesterday.

First Minister Sturgeon and Minister Naughten were in SSE’s offices to launch a Sustainability Impact Report, outlining the valuable economic, environmental and social impacts SSE and Coillte’s Galway Wind Park project is delivering locally and nationally.

As part of the project’s education outreach programme, the main civil works contractor, Roadbridge, ran a school photography competition to raise awareness of biodiversity among young people, and to encourage local students to explore the countryside around them. Grace (14) saw off competition from 44 other entries with her photo of snow-capped mountains and the Connemara landscape.

Following the presentation, Grace said: “I was delighted to be able to present my picture to First Minister Sturgeon and Minister Naughten. I’m really happy I won the competition. I didn’t expect it at all!”