Banners designed by children at three local schools have been displayed to encourage drivers to switch off their engines when stationary. 

Pupils at Wescott Infants, Westende Junior and All Saints CoE Primary School in Wokingham created the designs to remind drivers to switch off their car engines outside schools, particularly at drop-off and pick-up times. 

This helps to support work the council is conducting on projects such as anti-idling, which focus on the impact of pollution around schools. 

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The winning artworks were created by Aidan from Wescott Infant School, Kimmy from All Saints CE Aided Primary School and Nursery and Ella from Westende Junior School. 

The scheme was supported through the council's ‘My Journey Wokingham’ team, which undertakes a range of initiatives designed to encourage and promote healthy and environmentally friendly alternatives to travelling by car - including active methods and using public transport. 

The assistant director for highways at Wokingham Borough Council, Andy Glencross, said: “Thank you so much to all the children who worked so hard on these brilliant designs to help reduce air pollution around the borough and especially when parked near a school. 

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“Children especially need protection from this to ensure they grow and develop healthily, which is why it’s vital that we target schools as part of our wider efforts to reduce idling wherever we can. We urge drivers to be mindful of this every time they make a vehicle journey.” 

Last year, the council received £259,000 in funding from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to help tackle air quality across the borough. 

The grant was allocated for the council to continue its work with the Public Protection Partnership (PPP), a shared service delivering services - including environmental health - across Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Wokingham Borough Councils. 

Through the PPP, the council has been monitoring nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution and found that some areas of the borough have an ‘undesirable level.’