Derry & NW art competition tackles air pollution on the school run

The competition has been organised by the charity Sustrans through the Active School Travel programme, which is funded by the Public Health Agency and the Department for Infrastructure.

The adverse effect air pollution has on health has long been recognised, but children are among the most vulnerable due to their developing lungs and higher rate of respiration, and the school run contributes to this exposure considerably.

To combat this, schools engaged in Sustrans’ Active School Travel programme are encouraging an active, safe, and green commute to school by encouraging families to walk, wheel, scoot or cycle.

St Anne’s Primary School in Derry is one of the schools which make active travel more accessible and appealing through opting to run Walking Buses, Bike Buses and initiatives like the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, taking place between March 11 and 22.

Alongside this, the Active School Travel programme builds children’s knowledge of road safety, cycle skills and the benefits to their health when they choose active travel.

Sustrans ran the poster competition in partnership with Developing Healthy Communities, giving students a chance to come up with powerful messages to share with both the school and local community about the impact of their choice of school journey.

Patricia McNutt, Vice Principal of St Anne’s Primary school said: “We are delighted to be working with Donna McFeely from Sustrans to increase the opportunities for Active Travel in our school. Our school Eco-Council led the Poster Competition in school and worked hard to share their knowledge and passion with their fellow students. We are very proud of what they achieved and look forward to seeing more and more children travelling actively to school in the coming weeks and months.”

The project organisers said travelling actively is a very practical way to make a difference to air quality and reduce the emissions that negatively impact on our health and the health of the environment.

It can also be a joyful solution for the whole school community, as walking, wheeling, scooting, or cycling can be a chance for students to connect with their local community, notice the beauty of the changing seasons and experience quality time with their parent or carer.

Joe Newby, Policy and Communications Manager for Developing Healthy Communities, said "Schools are the front line for air quality. Protecting our children's developing lungs sets them up for a lifetime of health. It's a breath of fresh air to see how clearly young people understand the factors that help them live healthy lives and the steps we can all take to make Derry City & Strabane a healthy place to grow up."

A simple change to the streets outside primary schools would enable many more children to walk, scoot or cycle to school safely and establish a healthy habit of active travel from an early age.

Sustrans have called for the introduction of a School Streets initiative in Northern Ireland that would restrict motor traffic in the immediate vicinity of a school for a short period each day, generally at drop-off and pick-up times.

Registration for the Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel is now open to all primary and post primary schools: https://bigwalkandwheel.org.uk/register