A Welwyn Garden City Centenary Foundation project to help educate young people on environmental issues restarted at Ridgeway Academy on Thursday, May 20.

Initially put on hold due to COVID-19, the partnership between the WGC Centenary Foundation, Groundworks and the county and borough councils spoke to student bubbles from year 7, 9 and 10 on a range of topics, including air quality.

This follows the council putting additional air quality monitoring in place outside three borough schools – Ridgeway Academy, Monks Walk and Countess Anne – as part of the wider project.

The partnerships hopes that continued engagement with young people and parents will lead to long term improvements in air quality in and around schools by encouraging green travel.

Cllr Fiona Thomson, executive member for climate change at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, said: “The quality of the air we breathe is vital to protect our wellbeing, and the health of our environment.

"By showcasing the science behind the council’s air monitoring, pupils experienced first-hand how pollutants from vehicle engines affect our air. We have a unique opportunity after lockdown to build a healthier, cleaner borough and I hope today inspired them to think differently about how they travel now and in the future.”

Richard Sutton, geography teacher from Ridgeway Academy, said: “Energy consumption, recycling and biodiversity are some of the themes that our student sustainability team have been working on this year.

"The data that students collected as part of the Welwyn Garden City Centenary Project will be an excellent baseline resource for the local community to measure future ecological data against.”

David Kell of the WGC Centenary Foundation, said: ‘We are very pleased that Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s air quality monitoring is able to assist in the school’s environmental science day at Ridgeway Academy.’

The project is funded by The Hobson Charity and the Stefanou Foundation.

For more information about where air quality is measured in the borough and through which methods, visit: www.welhat.gov.uk/air-quality.