Schoolchildren in Burgas have made cards with messages about protecting the Black Sea and keeping it clean, and have sent them to pupils in Sofia, says Kristina Atanasova, secretary of the Izgrev 1909 chitalishte (community cultural centre) in Burgas. The cards mark 31 October, International Black Sea Day.

Atanasova told Bulgarian National Radio: "The children drew, modelled and sent cards to 60 children at the 2nd Prof. Emiliyan Stanev School in Sofia."

The cards will first go on show at the children's centre of the Sofia City Library, a partner in the project. Only then will they go to the pupils who are to receive them.

Nearly 60 pupils from the Dr Maria Montessori private school in Burgas worked in drawing studios and in a workshop making posters and cards with messages. Atanasova said the children make the cards with love and imagination, and this shows how much they care about the sea. The cards also carry a message to adults: protect the Black Sea so that it stays clean and beautiful.

"The Sea and the Children" is a project of the chitalishte and is now in its 10th edition. It runs with regional libraries across Bulgaria and with support from Burgas council. The children of Burgas are ambassadors for a cleaner sea, and the theme is the wealth and beauty of the Black Sea.

Today, pupils from the Dr Maria Montessori school and from the Hristo Botev primary school in the village of Marinka gathered at the Chengene Skele cultural and tourist complex, together with their teachers and guests. They opened the exhibition "My Black Sea", which stays open to visitors until the end of the first week of November.

A festive concert with free entry will take place tomorrow, Thursday 29 October, at 7pm in the Toncho Rusev hall of the NHK Culture House.

Entry is free. Atanasova said chitalishta from Burgas municipality will meet there "to mark 170 years of chitalishte work."

The municipality has 30 chitalishta in all. Izgrev 1909 will be represented by its children's vocal group Izgrevcheta, and the special guest will be Vladimir Spasov of the duo Burgas.

Project participants will set up an art installation at the Clock on the morning of 31 October.