There’s something in the air at the Warren School – or, rather, there’s something missing from it.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Warren School pupils Cheyney Galvin-Law, 13, and Djo Mogege, 12, by the Living Wall.Warren School pupils Cheyney Galvin-Law, 13, and Djo Mogege, 12, by the Living Wall. (Image: Archant)

A “living wall” was unveiled at the Chadwell Heath school today – a six-foot barrier built out of specially chosen plants that will help purify air, shrinking the area’s carbon footprint.

It makes the Warren London’s first school to benefit from the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund,

Partly designed by students at the Whalebone Lane North secondary school and unveiled by Mayor of Barking and Dagenham Cllr Elizabeth Kangethe, the structure sits at the front gates, where it will trap harmful particles in the air given off by cars on the busy road.

The plants are fed through a “drip irrigation” system, allowing water to flow slowly to the roots, while the location provides an opportunity to explore the effectiveness of living walls in combating air pollution.

The project will also enable students to learn about plants, the impact they have on the environment, and the “prune” maintenance programme – Plants Rely Upon Nurturing Everyday.

The school’s headteacher Richard Micek said: “It’s a real privilege and honour for our school community to be involved in such an exciting environmental initiative from its conception to its realisation.

“It will also give our school the chance to further extend the curriculum opportunities for our students.”

The unveiling coincided with a school non-uniform day that raised £770 for the London Air Ambulance and Pancreatic Cancer charities.

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