New 'park and stride' initiative launched in Fleckney as Leicestershire County Council back national Clean Air Day 2022

Clean Air Day is the UK’s biggest campaign on air pollution and this year’s theme was ‘Air Pollution Dirties Every Organ in the Body’

Leicestershire County Council backed national Clean Air Day 2022 yesterday (Thursday) as a new ‘park and stride’ scheme was launched at a Harborough district school.

Clean Air Day is the UK’s biggest campaign on air pollution and this year’s theme was ‘Air Pollution Dirties Every Organ in the Body’.

And here in the Harborough district, a new park and stride initiative was launched by the council with Fleckney Primary School.

The blueprint is aimed at getting children walking safely to school - as well as cutting harmful emissions from car journeys.

Parents and carers can leave their cars in nearby car parks in Fleckney and then walk youngsters to school from there.

Cllr Louise Richardson, the council’s cabinet member for public health, said the council will continue to do its best to tackle air pollution.

She added: “Air pollution can have serious negative effects on people’s health.

"Our continuing support of Clean Air Day and continued commitment to the environment show that we at the council are taking these health impacts seriously.

“We will continue to demonstrate our support for action on air pollution and cut down on the pollution we cause, taking the impact on our health very seriously in line with this year’s theme."

Cllr Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda, said: ‘We have great plans to improve the environment here in Leicestershire - and I encourage all of our residents to do their bit to help to support us and get involved.”

The council is vowing to become a net zero council by 2030 as it strives to turn Leicestershire into a net zero county by 2045 or before.

The county council is inviting people to get involved in a major study, running until Tuesday July 26.

People can comment at www.leicestershire.gov.uk/netzero to take part in the consultation.

To find out more about sustainable travel and other ways you can get involved with Clean Air Day, visit www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk