What we are doing to improve air quality
We are working with local schools and communities to raise awareness of air pollution and encourage behavioural change to protect human health and the environment.
We deliver assemblies in local schools on air pollution and promoting use of our air quality portal. We have also participated in other community events and festivals such as the Global Bike Bus Summit in April 2025 at the University of Worcester, and events at Heart of Worcestershire College.
View photo collage of the events
Activities in Worcestershire Schools
Clean Air is vital for lung development. Improving air quality and reducing exposure to air pollution will help to protect student’s health and create more sustainable and mindful school communities. How your school can get involved:
- Host an Air Quality Assembly and Workshops
- Fun and informative sessions for students of all ages to learn how air quality affects them and what they can do to help. Contact the Air Quality Behavioural Change Officer via enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk to arrange a visit.
- Take part in Clean Air Events
- Fairs, Festivals & Campaign Days, Anti-idling events. Celebrate clean air with creative school wide events, engage families and the wider community
- Active Travel Initiatives
- Promote walking, biking or scooting to school
- Run School Surveys
- Find out how students and parents travel to school and what change they’re open to. Use the results to create an action plan
Educational Resources
Breathe Better Worcestershire Air Quality Toolkit for Primary Schools
Working with the University of Worcester, and visiting students from Massachusetts, USA we have developed an air quality educational toolkit for primary schools. The “Breathe Better Worcestershire Air Quality Toolkit” is available to all primary schools across Worcestershire.
See UoW blog for further information on this program
To access the toolkit, please complete our form. A link will come up once submitted to access the toolkit information & Documents.
Toolkit access
Take part in our survey
Gathering information from the public helps us understand current knowledge, motivation and barriers to changing behaviours to improve air quality and to inform future work. The team have conducted two targeted surveys in 2024-25: one with students from Heart of Worcestershire College, and another with parents and staff members from 18 schools in Worcester.
Access the survey - Coming soon
Global Action Plan has lots of information and materials to help schools plan their own activities for Clean Air Day 2025, see below.
Clean Air Day is coming! 19th June 2025 – Get involved!
Clean Air Day is an annual event organised by the charity Global Action Plan and the largest public campaign on air pollution.
This Clean Air Day we are encouraging the Worcestershire community to make use of our real time air quality monitoring network and empower people to make a difference by being informed about their local area.
Learn about air pollution and the health impacts on these webpages and read below how you can make changes that benefit you and your family and improve the local environment.
Global Action Plan has lots more information and materials to help schools, businesses and other organisations get involved and take action for CAD2025.
How you can help reduce air pollution and protect you, your family and the environment
Air pollution adversely affects everyone’s health throughout lifetime, especially children, older adults and people with respiratory, heart and lung conditions. Most air pollution is produced from combustion and transportation processes during everyday activities such as heating our homes and driving.
Making changes to our lives can make a difference to our exposure to air pollution and our impact on the local environment.
What can you do
Make smarter travel choices
- Walk, cycle, or take the bus for short journeys
- Car share with colleagues or friends
- Avoid idling, turn off the engine when parked, especially near schools, hospitals and care homes
Use clean energy at home
- Reduce use if wood burners and open fires
- Choose low emission heating options
- Insulate your home to lower energy needs
(See Smoke Control Areas for further advice on wood burners and fuels)
Think before you burn
- Never burn household waste or wet wood
- Compost garden waste or use council collection services
Shop and live sustainably
- Support local products to reduce transport emissions
- Reuse and recycle to reduce unnecessary produced goods
See Protecting Me and Others from Air Pollution for further information.
AirWise: How Clean Is Your Lifestyle?
Discover how your daily habits contribute to cleaner air in Worcestershire. It only takes 5 minutes!
Links to Air Quality pages and related topics:
- Air Quality - Home
- Current Air Quality - Interactive air quality maps and public portal to real-time monitoring network
- Air Pollutants – Information on air pollutants, sources and impacts
- Air Pollution and Health – How air pollution affects our health
- Local Air Quality Management - Legislation, policy, standards and objectives
- Protecting Me and Others from Air Pollution - Practical advice on how to minimise exposure to poor air quality
- Local Air Quality Reporting - The place to find annual status reports of air quality and action plans
- Air Quality Management Areas – areas of poor air quality in Worcestershire requiring improvement