Tooting: 'Green walls' aimed to mitigate air pollution installed at primary schools

Two primary schools in Tooting have been donated 'green walls' to help educate children on air pollution.

Smallwood Primary School and Hillbrook Primary School received the walls on behalf of CREW Energy, after the non-for-profit company received a grant from the Wandsworth Local Fund in 2020.

The aim is to help the schools mitigate the effects of air pollution in playgrounds that are close to surrounding streets. The walls will also provide the children with more access to nature and greenery.

The hope is that this pilot scheme can be extended to different schools in the future.

Harry Holding GardenDesign, which has previously featured on an episode of Grand Designs, provided their expertise and installed the green walls. At Smallwood, children helped plant out the entire lower section of the 7m by 2m wall.

Over the next couple of years, the green walls will develop to provide an uninterrupted covering of green, attracting bees, butterflies and insects.

Councillor Will Sweet said: "Thanks to CREW Energy for arranging for these fantastic green walls. They are a great resource for the children and will help support their learning as well as their mental health and wellbeing."

Councillor Clare Caddy added: "Actions to mitigate climate change are now embedded into all areas of the council's work, including grant funding, so we were delighted to support this project from CREW."

CREW Energy has been delivering low carbon solutions, energy advice and community outreach across the borough since 2015. It has previously worked with the council to provide advice to local people as part of the Wandsworth Environment and Sustainability Strategy (WESS), including taking part in a Climate Conversation session last year, which you can watch online.

Other work with schools being carried out as part of the WESS includes developing travel plans to encourage walking and cycling, and bringing in school streets to keep streets outside schools traffic-free at drop-off and pick up time.

The Wandsworth Local Fund (WLF) is a charge the council makes on developers to pay for the infrastructure needed to support the development.

Recent rounds have included a new emphasis across the council's work on supporting the delivery of the WESS including commitments to encourage active travel, improve air quality and increase biodiversity. In the most recent round of funding, other green schemes were given grants, including 'living pillars' in Putney and Clapham Junction and 50 new bike hangars around the borough. Find out more.

Have a story in Tooting you'd like to share? Get in touch! Email [email protected], call 07557513104 or tweet @TommyJJourno [I]

[I] Find all the latest news from Tooting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.