PUPILS from a Monmouth school were crowned winners of British Gas's Generation Green competition on Friday 10th July, earning an energy makeover worth up to £100,000 for their school.

Children from Haberdashers Monmouth School for Girls danced their way to success in the action-packed Welsh final outside St David's shopping centre in Cardiff.

The children, aged between 11 and 17, fended off competition from pupils at Bryn Celynnog from Beddau, after being awarded the highest number of points for their performance and the energy created when they danced on a special power-generating dance mat called Pavegen.

In addition to the makeovers, Jordan and Perri from Britain's Got Talent winning dance group Diversity, kindly offered all four schools a trip to London to take part in a dance workshop later this year.

The school was invited to the final after pupils submitted designs for an energy-saving school of the future.

Their creative ideas were shortlisted from hundreds of entries from the region and included solar powered computers, bikes in classrooms to power the projectors, and wristbands that charge-up when you move, to power mobile phones.

The school is set to be transformed with the latest energy-saving technology, such as solar panels, LED lighting and a new energy efficient boiler.

The makeover could save the school up to £7,000 a year on its fuel bills.

Diversity stars Jordan and Perri said: "We were blown away by the amazing performance by Haberdashers Monmouth School for Girls.

"The kids had a fantastic routine and we were really impressed with how they combined the energy inspired moves into their dance in such a creative, energetic and fun way."

Teacher Rhyan Parry said: "We're thrilled to have been named the winner of British Gas' Generation Green Competition. The girls worked really hard on their designs for an eco-school of the future and the dance routine, and it's great their efforts paid off in such a spectacular way.

"The makeover will transform our school, helping us to save energy every day and will inspire our pupils now and in the future about being green."

Niamh Gray, 14, said: "This whole experience has been amazing. Winning was the absolute icing on the cake. The whole programme has been great, both the dancing and the energy efficiency project. I have learned so much about energy conservation, and of course it was totally fantastic to meet Jordan and Perri."

Lynda Campbell, regional director for Wales at British Gas, said: "We're delighted for Haberdashers Monmouth School for Girls after their incredible performance. The pupils have captured the spirit of Generation Green with their creative dance routine and imaginative ideas for an eco-school, and are now budding energy innovators for the future."

The competition is part of British Gas's Generation Green schools programme, which inspires thousands of children and teachers to think about energy and to reduce energy use within schools and the wider community. 

British Gas has invested £2.6 million installing energy-saving equipment for schools through Generation Green during the last two years, helping to save an estimated 750 tonnes of CO2