Clean air – a human right and a health issue
The Hornbeam group on day six
Sophie with the rainbow after the rain
The Angel of the North
Ride for Their Lives : two occupational therapists join other NHS cyclists on an epic journey to save lives
A
year ago , in the email-based ‘ Green Champion ’ s ’ group at Great Ormond Street Hospital for children , an idea was put forward ; could we cycle 540 miles from London to COP26 in Glasgow ?
Our goal was to communicate the seriousness of air pollution ( www . cleanairfund . org /) to fellow healthcare providers and the public , especially families with young children . Polluted air causes an estimated seven million deaths a year ( The Lancet 2021 ) and shares the same root causes as the climate crisis .
Momentum grew ; other children ’ s hospitals pledged their support and links were made with international health professionals and the World Health Organization ( WHO ).
The journey began in Geneva , where Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum , head of climate change for WHO cycled with a report and letter to London . He entrusted documents in a blue satchel to a group who left London on 24 October , aiming to arrive in Glasgow a week later as
COP26 started . There we handed over the suite of documents from the global
26 OTnews December 2021