Local boy, Harry Walton from Ashford in Kent, wins nationwide competition to be lead-voice in new Animated Series about cleaning-up our planet.

A nationwide competition to find the voice of the lead character for a new animated series has today announced that local school-boy, Harry Walton, from Ashford in Kent, has won the main prize to narrate “Clean Our Planet: Energy Of Change”.

Harry, aged 10, along with five other children from around the country were selected after a six-month process that searched across 40,000 families. Run by Clean Planet Energy and partnered by the UK’s leading child talent agency Scallywags, participants were asked to create a short video about how they are helping protect the planet.

“Harry’s entry grabbed the attention of our judges immediately. Plastic pollution is a hazard that is destroying our natural environment, and Harry showed us that he’s taking action on this problem, embarking on a journey to make ecoBricks [plastic bottles stuffed with non-recyclable plastic] and using them to create furniture, games and most recently an ecoBrick garden-planter. ”, said Bertie Stephens, CEO of Clean Planet Energy

“The purpose of the new animated series is to help both inform and engage people of all ages as to how our lifestyles impacts upon nature. We must take a step back and realise that the current balance between nature and society is untenable, but importantly we must have the courage to make incremental changes so that we can live the life we want, but in harmony with the nature around us”, continued Stephens.

At just 10 years of age, Harry has already been working on solutions to the problem for a number of years, “I learned how to make ecoBricks about two years ago when we found a local shop who were collecting them. Our family has been making ecoBricks ever since to try and keep plastic from entering our landfills and oceans. I have also watched several documentaries and learned more about the issue”, said Harry.

Upon finding out about his win, Harry is both looking-forward to the experience but also understands the importance this message can have. “It makes me sad and angry when I see other people dropping litter. I am looking forward to helping get a positive message to young people about the importance of caring for our planet.

The animation is slated to deliver a narrative that will take the audience through the ages, on an arc of discovery. Mixing key messages with entertainment is difficult, but Harry, along with the other five winners were picked as they have an edge to make people of all ages sit up and listen. “If we’re going change the world, achieve the seemingly impossible, we’ll have to achieve it with those whose future it impacts most, for people and businesses alike we’re entering an era of the Clean Planet Economy”, Stephens concluded.

The animated series will go into voice-over production this Summer with an initial release date scheduled for Q4 this year. The primary target audience will be school-children but like all good animations the purpose is to bring-together the entire family.

From the initial entries that reached 40,000 families, 15 finalists were shortlisted by a team of 5 judges. All finalists will receive a certificate, and the winners, in addition to winning the voice-over prize, have also been awarded a cash prize of £125; the family also receives a set of Clean Planet t-shirts.