The region is celebrating Clean Air Day today (Thursday), the UK’s largest annual air pollution campaign.

Children are more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution so this year Clean Air Day is focused on ways to ‘protect our children’s health from air pollution’.

The campaign aims to inspire people to take simple steps which will protect their families’ health from air pollution.

In North Somerset, staff at Weston General Hospital are celebrating Clean Air Day with the official opening of their new covered bike shelter, which North Somerset Council has supported with an active travel grant.

Any member of staff who walks or cycles to work today (Thursday) will be treated to a free, healthy breakfast.

To mark the shelter opening and celebrate Clean Air Day, the council has also arranged for a team of Travelwest advisors to be on-site at the hospital all day with maps and local travel advice, a Dr Bike mechanic to service staff bikes, plus the chance to book free one-to-one cycle confidence sessions this summer.

Cllr Mike Solomon, the council's executive member whose portfolio includes active travel schemes, said: “During lockdown I was delighted that we could divert our fleet of 18 ‘Super-Mare-Cycles’ to the hospital for staff to use on their journey to and from work.

“My thanks go to Dafne Pedroni, the hospital’s active travel champion, who managed the fleet. Dozens of staff borrowed a bike to help them commute in a sustainable, socially-distanced way during the pandemic.

“With their own fleet of staff pool bikes in the pipeline, plus the onsite events organised to mark Clean Air Day, I hope many more hospital staff will be encouraged to commute in a sustainable way, reduce their personal air pollution and work towards a clean air future for our children.”

The annual Clean Air Day campaign is a chance to find out more about air pollution, learn how to avoid it and discover the practical things that people can do to cut local pollution. To find out more, make a pledge and calculate personal air pollution, log on to www.cleanairday.org.uk.

For more information about the active and sustainable travel support available for North Somerset businesses, schools or community organisations email sustainable.travel@n-somerset.gov.uk or call 01275 884605.