RCPCH Annual Conference 26-28 March 2025 Glasgow.

We have an abstract "RFTL -our journey continues" being presented on Friday 28 March in the Climate Change Working Group session, by RFTL rider Alice Willson, RCPCH Clean Air Fellow and an e-poster.

We are organising two rides:

Short ride. (approx. 7k) at the conference in Glasgow on Friday 28 March. Leaving promptly at 7 am. Local city-bike hire (sign up required) available. Plan is to ride, chat and support clean air advocacy.

Join us for a short early morning bike ride on which you will see:

· Two rivers – the Clyde and the Kelvin

· Two primary schools, whose playgrounds illustrate stark inequalities in air quality

· Two methods of monitoring air pollutants

· Two museums and art galleries (almost!)

We start at the SEC – the site of COP26, destination of the first Ride for Their Lives in 2021. First we pedal a short distance along the bank of the River Clyde, pausing to spot a diffusion tube. This tiny device provides annual mean Nitrogen Dioxide measurements.

At the huge commonwealth games mural under the Kingston Bridge (by signs announcing the boundary of the Low Emission Zone) we turn away from the Clyde and into Anderston, where we will stop by St Patrick’s Primary school. A stone’s throw from the M8 motorway, in the playground that they share with Sandyford nursery, we can admire an Automatic Air Quality Monitoring Station. This provides much more detailed data than a diffusion tube – and for particulate pollution as well as nitrogen dioxide. Whilst within the current Scottish objectives, annual mean Nitrogen Dioxide concentration for 2024 at this site was more than double the WHO threshold.

Proceeding past Glasgow’s Central Gurdwara with its huge golden dome, we enter Kelvingrove Park. We will stop by Hillhead Primary school. Its playground is nestled between the river Kelvin and the car-free Kelvin Way. A sign on the gate publicises their weekly bike bus. We then pedal down the tree-lined avenue, approaching Kelvingrove gallery and museum. The other museum and gallery - that we don’t quite see - is the Hunterian, up on University Avenue just beyond Hillhead Primary. Leaving the park, we head south to the SEC, passing Mother India (another Glasgow institution) en route.

By the end of the ride we should all be better informed about key air pollutants and how they are monitored, and will have collected all sorts of images to use for illustration whenever we want to share our learning about air quality in future. At the same time, those not already familiar with Glasgow will have seen a few highlights worth making more time to visit properly when you have the chance.

NB – at least two of us (not involved in breakfast sessions) will be returning to Hillhead Primary at the end of the ride, to meet the Bike Bus at around 8.30. If you want to join us, just let us know on the day.

Long ride. A few of us are planning to ride to the conference from the Newcastle. Starting Mon 24 arriving Wed 26 March. Day 1 Newcastle to Berwick upon Tweed, 2 Berwick to Edinburgh, 3 Edinburgh to Glasgow. Lots of train options available so people can join us for one or more days. Contact Heather at RideForTheirLivesHJL@icloud.com if interested in joining for all or some of this.