New sensor installed to test air quality outside Wendover schools

Schools in Wendover are among those targeted in Bucks Council’s new Clean Up Our Air campaign, launched to coincide with UK Clean Air Day on June 15.

The unitary council has installed five new air quality monitoring sensors outside schools in the county – in Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, Marlow, Flackwell Heath, and on Wharf Road, Wendover, at the entrance of the Wharf Campus, which leads to the John Colet, John Hampden School and Wendover Church of England Junior School.

Local groups, including Community Boards, will have access to the monitoring data as well as resources to help them raise awareness of air quality within their local community. The project has been funded by a Defra Air Quality Grant.

Air quality is also monitored throughout the county via a series of passive nitrogen dioxide (NO2) diffusion tubes. The locations of the tubes can be seen on this map.

The Clean Up Our Air campaign aims to educate residents, businesses and visitors to the area on how they can reduce emissions; how to reduce exposure to air pollution; and how local groups, schools and community boards can help.

Gareth Williams, Bucks Council cabinet member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Clean air is good for both our physical and mental health, which is why it’s vitally important to us to reduce air pollution in the county – especially around our schools.

“Thanks to a Defra Air Quality Grant award, we launched the Air Quality Toolkits project, which provides participating Community Boards with materials to enable them, local schools and organisations to carry out campaigns and to raise awareness of local air quality issues.

“The results from the sensors will help to illustrate and monitor the impact of campaigns carried out during the year. The toolkits will also improve participants' knowledge about air quality and educate on what steps individuals can take to reduce their exposure to air pollution.

“Looking to the future, we are constantly exploring new ways to improve air quality in the county, and we are committed to achieving our goal of reducing Buckinghamshire’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.”

Find out more by visiting Bucks Council’s Air Quality webpage.