More than £1k raised in campaign for school air purifiers

A Somerset Councillor is behind the 'Clean Air Clare' campaign which is naming and decorating air purifiers for schools

Cllr Oliver Patrick and air purifier 'Clare'
Author: Andrew KayPublished 29th Sep 2022
Last updated 29th Sep 2022

A Somerset councillor has been decorating air purifiers, as part of his campaign to get them installed in classrooms.

Cllr Oliver Patrick is trying to raise roughly £13,000 for schools in his Coker division, and then looking at three-quarters of a million for every school in the county.

The petition has so far raised more than £1,000

In response, a spokesperson for Somerset County Council said: “We have no plans to install air filters in schools at this time. The scientific evidence is still emerging and we are minded to wait for further guidance from central government.”

The department for education said: "To help improve ventilation, we have provided state-funded schools in England with 386,000 carbon dioxide monitors, and 8,026 air cleaning units.

"Each year, capital funding is allocated to those responsible for school buildings to improve and maintain the condition of the school estate, including £1.8 billion committed this financial year.

"Condition funding can be used to invest in improving ventilation and indoor air quality."

For more about the campaign click here

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