Let's Talk Clean Air Whalley Range

Manchester has some of the worst air quality in the country. Amongst other effects, air pollution in Manchester contributes to high rates of asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer and climate change. A primary school in Whalley Range was in the pilot last year for the Asthma Friendly Schools project being one of the 8 schools with the highest hospital admissions for breathing problems in Greater Manchester. The photo gallery below shows some of the activities and banners that have been made by local people and organisations, working to improve the air.

We have lots of plans for 2025

We are fundraising and planning to work together to make an even bigger noise than last year on and around 19th June which is Clean Air Day 2025. 

This year we will be making and using puppets to get our message across. So far, we know that 23 local organisations are planning to be involved.  

There will be 

puppet making workshops including at the Celebrate Festival on Saturday 14th June, 

a picnic and puppet show in Alexandra Park on 21st June

a Treasure Hunt at the British Muslim Heritage Centre on Sunday 22nd June.  

The School Street at Manley Park is in its third year, thanks to a dedicated group of local campaigners, residents and parents. They physically operate the School Street every day,  and are campaigning for the council to install cameras as soon as possible, so that it is sustainable in the long term. Parents also organise a very successful bike train every Friday.  

St Margaret’s Primary School has 4 walking buses every Friday led by parents. They are campaigning for a school street. It is an Asthma Friendly School working with the Alexandra Practice to support children with asthma, including active travel.

The Alexandra Practice (a local General Practice ) has developed their reviews of patients with asthma to complement the work in school, where amongst other things they promote active travel. Asthma is the priority of the Local Primary Care Network, which covers all local GP's, to address inequalities in the health of Children and Young People.   Some Manley Park parents are exploring whether they could also become an asthma friendly school.  

St Margaret's School and St Margaret’s Social Centre are offering cycling training for women/parents and cycle leader training.   St Margaret’s School will be launching their bike train in April. St Margaret’s Social Centre plan to to take out small groups.

Muslim Perma are planning an online Instagram conversation on active travel during Ramadan. 

Kingsbrook Residents Association will be asking local councillors to approach local secondary schools with them to address the traffic problems at drop off and pick up times. They want to promote school buses, air monitoring and awareness raising including awareness raising via leafleting about idling.

St Margaret’s Social Centre and Whalley Range Tennis & Cricket Club are plan to make their buildings more energy efficient (retrofit) and looking at EV charging. St Margaret’s Social Centre want to develop an eco kitchen and generate electricity on site.

Woodburning produces high levels  of emissions and pollution that affects residents nearby.

Action to discourage woodburning is planned by Victoria Road Residents Association; it is also part of asthma reviews @ Alexandra Practice.  Friends of Alexandra Park plan to make it part of their ‘What could we do to help Alex Park have Clean Air’ stall at the Celebrate Festival as well as their Clean Air Day activities, using stick piles and puppets explaining why it is a bad idea to burn wood.

We are part of a research project working with Then Try This (a design and development organisation based in Cornwall) to trial the latest version of their Smog Off air pollution monitor. We will be working with them on a project to collect and analyse air pollution data and explore whether the monitors are successful in empowering us to bring about change.

Friends of Alexandra Park will be asking the council to make the contract for the next ice cream van in the Park and electric one.

LTCA representatives meet with our MP Afzal Khan regularly,  alongside other Whalley Range environmental groups. His office ensures we have regular meetings with Greater Manchester Combined Authority Chair, Andy Burnham alongside other members of the Let Manchester Breathe coalition  and local academics.

We engage in conversations about proposed developments to ensure decision makers are aware how they might undermine the work our diverse network of organisations is doing to clean up the air.

Other awareness raising in Alexandra park

Clean Air will be part of the St Margaret’s school ‘what makes WR community special’ exhibition in the park Cafe Bembe. 

We will be sharing a new website which is currently in development (link tbc), with other local environmental organisations including Whalley Range Climate Action Group, Manley Park School Street and Walk Ride Whalley Range.  This will hugely improve our ability to share details of what we are doing and about Clean Air. For example Manley Park School Street plan to put QR codes on barriers, to ‘Ensure people coming past have access to information.’ .