In celebration of the national campaign Clean Air Day on Thursday 20 June, St Stephen’s Church Primary School in Bath had a party before school on the streets outside the school grounds.
Children were encouraged to walk or cycle to school to protect the air from pollution and enable a safe place for everyone to dance and play. Anyone who left the car at home was greeted with a pastry, a cup of squash and they were asked to make a pledge to make the school streets safer and the air cleaner.
School Travel Ambassador, Liz Rees, said, “it is wonderful to see the children skip, play, dance and draw with chalk on the road before school starts. Often the area outside school can become congested in the mornings with cars dropping children off and this can present a safety issue.
“Today we are demonstrating the possibility of a healthier and safer school street, with no cars to contend with directly outside school.”
The celebration involved children, parents, carers, volunteers, governors and staff from St Stephen’s Church School, who all wore the colour pink to mark the occasion. Liz continues, “The pink is a nod to our team of road safety volunteers who wear pink high vis to help the children cross the road safely and discourage parking on the yellow lines directly outside the school.”
National Clean Air Day is a day dedicated to highlighting the impact of air pollution on everyone’s health and the environment. It serves as a reminder that clean air is essential for everyone’s wellbeing and encourages individuals and communities to take steps towards reducing air pollution.
St Stephen’s Church Primary School’s Deputy Headteacher, Louise Flynn, helped to organise the day. She said, “We have appointed two Junior Travel Ambassadors at the school who have made posters and often speak in assembly about the importance of road safety and reducing air pollution around school.
“It would be magical if we could enjoy a safe space on these roads before the school day starts every day, and we appreciate everybody playing their part to make this happen.”