Healthy Journeys, Healthy Air: NW3 School Run Project

Seven years ago, when the core team of Green School Runs first met, one idea stood out: a billboard displaying live air pollution levels at one of the busiest intersections in north Camden. We believed that if parents could see how polluted the air was during school pick-up and drop-off times, it might encourage greener choices.

Seven years on, awareness of the impact of school-run traffic has grown. We’ve delivered projects, assemblies, fairs and local engagement activities  but the billboard never materialised. 

Reliable, real-time data was difficult to obtain, even though it was exactly what was needed to back up what we see every day: the visible impact of traffic on our roads and outside our schools.

Today, we’re delighted to share something that comes very close: our new project Healthy Journeys, Healthy Air

At the end of January 2026, three Breathe London air quality sensors were installed across the Frognal, Hampstead Town and Belsize wards. These sensors measure nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) — pollutants strongly linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as childhood asthma.

The sensors provide hour-by-hour, real-time data, publicly accessible online. Not quite a billboard  but the next best thing.

By making this information openly available, we hope to empower residents, schools and decision-makers to better understand local air quality and the impact of traffic and street-level interventions.

View the live data: 

• Frognal sensor

• Hampstead sensor

• Belsize sensor

Over the next 12 months, we will analyse this data alongside other available datasets to build a detailed picture of air pollution in Hampstead. Our aim is to use this evidence to develop practical, community-led recommendations and policy proposals to improve the quality of the air we all breathe.

Read more in the latest issue fo our newsletter.