THE Camelford Clean Air Group has been spreading the word about their town’s air quality, holding an awareness raising protest outside Enfield Park on Saturday, writes Rosie Cripps.

Twelve members from the group, who have been campaigning for safer and cleaner air in Camelford, as well as the implementation of alternative traffic routes — which many hope would be a bypass or alternative route for heavy goods vehicles — took to the streets to spread the word about Camelford’s air quality over the weekend.

On Saturday, under the warm sunshine, the group brought along 200 flyers and protest signs, stating words such as ‘Be aware! Your foot on the gas is polluting our air’ and ‘Say no to NO2’, and stood outside the entrance of Enfield Park in Camelford, greeting passers by with messages some hadn’t even heard of.

A spokesperson for the group explained that there was a lot of interest, and that most of the 200 flyers had gone by the end of the day. However, many people were not even aware that Camelford had been declared an air quality management area by Cornwall Council, as part of their Clean Air for Cornwall scheme.

After the Camelford Clean Air Group was set up in 2016, the town was officially declared an air quality management area (AQMA) on January 4, 2017 by Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for communities, Geoff Brown. This follows a serious level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) being found in parts of Camelford, reaching 62.1ug/m3 and greatly exceeding the level that is considered safe of below 40ug/m3.

Camelford is now one of seven air quality management areas in Cornwall, amongst Truro, Bodmin, St Austell, Tideford, Gunnislake and the Redruth, Camborne and Pool area.

The spokesperson said: “The purpose of the protest was to let people know who to contact, and to keep Camelford from being overlooked and ignored.”

They explained that it is expected that another town in Cornwall is soon to become an air quality management area — Grampound. The public consultation for this area is ongoing until April 17.

With the possibility of seven other towns to contend with, the Clean Air Group are hoping that Camelford will not be overlooked by Cornwall Council. However, the group thinks that this is already the situation the town is facing.

The spokesperson said: “One of our members is going to be in contact with the other air quality areas to see if they have any community groups, like ours. We will see if we can work together, and try and raise the issue Cornwall-wide. Truro has already taken priority; they’ve got a park and ride and other facilities now — and I think this will be followed by Redruth.”

They added that one AQMA, Bodmin, has been in declaration since 2008, and there is still yet something to be done about their air quality. This is what the group fear for Camelford. They continued: “With the potential for an eighth area, this really is a county wide issue, and it needs a strong response.”

Surprisingly, many people in Camelford were still unaware of the issues surrounding air quality and the effect of traffic on the town. With summer on the rise, and the roads expected to become more and more busy as people pass through Camelford from the main roads, as well as the ongoing issue of HGVs and lorries proceeding through the town, the group are concerned that residents of Camelford will have to endure yet another summer of polluted air and busy roads.

The Camelford Clean Air Group are now urging more people to get involved if they can, and spread the word. The spokesperson added: “Everyone’s welcome to get involved; the more people, the better. We need variety and we need new ideas, so it’s always good to have more people on board.”

To find out more information about the group, visit their Facebook page, Camelford Clean Air Group