Help us to fight air pollution on Clean Air Day – June 15

Special trails are in place in parks in Blackburn and Darwen to help us all do our bit to improve air quality and tackle pollution in our borough.

We have worked with partner organisations to create walking trails using eye-catching emoji signs that will highlight the benefits of clean air for mental health and well-being

You can find these fun trails at Witton Park, Blackburn and Bold Venture Park, Darwen. The interactive signs will lead you around the trail, with 12 signs in Witton Park and 8 signs in Bold Venture Park.

The emojis will echo the signs and quotes varying from happy and sad emojis to showing bicycles and cars that will reflect the air quality in the area, as they move away from pollution to the greener cleaner locations within the park.

The trails will be launched on Clean Air Day – Thursday, June 15 – by pupils and teachers from St Luke and St Phillip’s Primary School and Griffin Park Primary School, both in Blackburn, and Holy Trinity Primary School in Darwen.

More information on the trails and Clean Air Day can be found here: https://bewellbwd.com/clean-air-trail/

Blackburn’s very own Making Rooms designed and produced the emoji signs which lead you around the trail.

Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign and the theme this year is around air quality and the impact it can have on our mental health, as well as our physical health.

The theme this year is: “Clean up our air to look after your mind this #CleanAirDay”.

Cleaning up our air is good for us in many ways: it not only benefits our physical health and the environment but can also protect our mental and brain health. The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and cancers – have been recognised for decades. More recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.

Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK.  The World Health Organisation and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today.

At Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council our aim is to raise awareness of this issue and encourage residents across the borough to leave their vehicles at home, go outdoors and enjoy nature while visiting our beautiful green spaces.

BwD Director of Public Health, Abdul Razaq, said:

Many of us know that air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health and can really affect our physical health, but there is also a risk to our mental health.

There is really no safe level of air pollution and even low levels can have an impact on people’s health, especially young children and people with underlying health conditions. This Clean Air Day, if you can leave your car at home and try to walk or cycle, you can help your local community to reduce emissions and enjoy being more active in the outdoors. If you can, please try and get down to Witton Park or Bold Venture Park and try out our fun and informative trails.”

You can find out more about Clean Air Day and how you can get involved here: https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day