FIVE students at a Harpenden school went straight to the top in their battle against stopping world hunger.

The Sir John Lawes (SJL) pupils were among those selected to present paper plates with messages about world hunger to Prime Minister David Cameron as part of the IF campaign run by over 100 non-governmental organisations to try and make sure there is enough food for everyone.

Miriam Quinn, Susi Latham, Jack Murphy, Ellen Archer and Chloe Goldhawk from the school’s Oxfam youth action group were first greeted at 10 Downing Street by Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams and chief executive of Unicef UK David Bull who answered a number of questions, four of which will be passed on to David Cameron to respond to.

The party then went back into the street where the Prime Minister joined them and stressed how important it was for students to get involved in such campaigns.

During the event the Prime Minister was presented with the specially-crafted plates from each of the students attending, representing more than 30,000 plates that have been decorated by school children across the UK including those at SJL.

The handing in of the plates was an important symbolic act ahead of this week’s G8 meeting in Northern Ireland.

Miriam Quinn said: “I feel that in the 21st Century, it is a scandal that one in eight people go to bed hungry, so I decided to try and play my part in the movement to make a change. For this to culminate in such an exciting opportunity as visiting Downing Street is truly amazing.”

And SJL’s teacher of geography and international links and global citizenship (ESD) co-ordinator, Helen Cox, added: “The IF campaign has been a fantastic way to get pupils to think about world hunger and what both they and world leaders can do to make a difference. Having the opportunity to visit Downing Street shows our pupils that their voices really are going right to the top of our country’s leadership.”