Clean Air Day
Coordinated by Global Action Plan, Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution awareness campaign. Since 2017, it has engaged thousands of people across hundreds of events and reached millions more through the media.
Southend-on-Sea City Council became an official supporter of Clean Air Day in 2021. We continue to take part each year by organising events and promoting local projects that improve air quality across the city.
Clean Air Day aims to:
- Raise awareness of what causes air pollution and how it affects our health and environment
- Provide clear information on practical steps people can take to protect themselves and others
- Encourage lasting behaviour changes, such as cutting engine idling, walking or cycling more, and using public transport
- Inspire community action by involving schools, businesses, local organisations and the community in clean air initiatives
- Promote shared responsibility for improving air quality across the city
In September 2024, Southend Council launched the Cough! Cough! Engine Off! campaign. This initiative urges drivers to switch off their engines while waiting at traffic lights and outside schools, as a result, reducing air pollution in Southend and improving the health of drivers and those around them.
Building on the success of this project, further promotional activities took place throughout June last year, coinciding with Clean Air Day 2025 on 19th June.
On the day, anti-idling banners were distributed to all Group C schools and several schools in Leigh, where vehicle idling is common. We also attended Hamstel Junior School and the COPD Connectors meeting in conjunction with SAVS, to discuss Air Quality and assist with displaying campaign materials.
Several local organisations supported the campaign by displaying banners and posters to raise awareness, including:
- Southend University Hospital
- South Essex College
- Shoeburyness Library
- Valkyrie and Shoebury Health Centres
Our ongoing support for Clean Air Day and wider air quality initiatives was also recognised nationally in an article written by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
If you have ideas on how we can support the Clean Air Day campaign in Southend later this year, or if you’d like to get involved, please email us at EnvironmentalHealth@Southend.gov.uk
