Children's art urges drivers to clean up their act

Pupils at six Wokingham Borough schools have put up colourful artworks urging motorists not to run their engines when their vehicles are stationary.

The annual display is organised by My Journey Wokingham, the council’s active travel team, to reduce air pollution at these sites as part of its Air Quality Schools scheme.

Pupils drew up their best designs and a winner from each school was chosen to put their masterpiece on show.

Five primaries and one secondary took part, all in areas where My Journey is working to improve air quality with funding from the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

A colourful but serious reminder

The signs remind drivers that idling their engines outside schools, which is a particular problem at pick-up and drop-off times, contributes to harmful air pollution.

The council wants to reduce this because substances like particulates and nitrogen dioxide, both created by burning fuel, cause serious health problems – especially in children.

By switching off instead of idling, motorists run less risk of contributing to illnesses like heart disease, stroke, asthma and other breathing problems or lung cancer.

This year’s winners were:

• Charlotte (Year 5, Evendons Primary School, Wokingham) drew up a bold design which starkly depicted the impact of air pollution on our planet.
• Arham and Henry (Years 3 and 6, Westende Junior School). Arham’s entry showed a great sense of perspective and Henry’s colourful design was sure to draw attention.
• Scarlett (Year 5, The Hawthorns Primary School, Wokingham) submitted a brilliantly catchy slogan ‘Less Pollution is the Best Solution’ with beautifully drawn artwork.
• Holly (Year 6, Hawkedon Primary School, Lower Earley) with a strong design that had clear warnings to drivers to switch off their engines when near to the school.
• Amy (Year 4, Emmbrook Junior School, Wokingham) entered a poster urging drivers to ‘turn the key and be idle free’ and clearly demonstrating the benefits.
• Summer (Year 9, St Crispin’s secondary school, Wokingham) with a beautifully painted poster to illustrate the harm of idling with a clear message to stop.

All winners and runners-up received My Journey goodie bags including a branded water bottle.

Well done to all our artists

The children all put a lot of thought into their entries, and the council is glad they took a keen interest.

It hopes these artworks will inspire passing drivers to reduce their emissions – whether by switching off their engines or looking at alternatives like walking, cycling or taking the bus.

The winners deserve to be proud of their creations and it is encouraging to see they understand the importance of being environmentally friendly.

A total of 17 schools in the borough have participated in the Air Quality Schools scheme. This includes activities like monitoring local air quality and taking part in initiatives like Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel and Living Streets’ Walk to School Week.

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