In 2024, the London Borough of Islington commissioned CAG Consultants to deliver a public engagement and citizen science programme across the Highbury and Mildmay wards. Delivered between 2024 and March 2026, the project formed part of the council's broader air quality strategy, complementing new active travel infrastructure, School Streets, and an interactive digital public air quality website.

CAG’s role was to run citizen science workshops on air quality for schools and community members, help to demystify air pollution data, facilitate hands-on monitoring using personal exposure monitors, gather residents’ feedback on the council's digital tools, and promote community clean air actions. Highlights of the programme included a Car Free Day event at a school, and air quality workshops with school pupils and residents at local care homes.

School Citizen Science Programme

CAG’s citizen science programme provided pupils with a ‘hands-on’ way to learn about air pollution in their local area. Real-time personal exposure monitors enabled them to see pollution levels, and they identified areas with higher and lower pollution levels, and they reflected on why that might be.

Each school had:

• Educational sessions explaining and discussing sources of local pollution, health risks, and clean-air choices.

• Guided pollution monitor walks around the local area for pupils using handheld Atmotube monitors paired with real-time smartphone apps and traffic tallies to identify local pollution spikes.

• De-briefs after the walk, where pupils reflected on what the pollution monitor had shown, and what the learnings were. They then discussed how to share learnings with the wider school community, with some drafting assembly presentations and newsletter updates for their broader school communities.

Clean Air Event Coordination & Creative Competitions

CAG coordinated a community celebration at Newington Green Primary School for Car Free Day, and to celebrate the launch of a School Street. Event management included event planning, booking attractions (smoothie bikes, bike-powered bubble machines, Dr Bike mechanics, guided cycle rides), and conducting live air-monitoring demonstrations measuring real-time emissions during outdoor cooking.

CAG created teacher packs and assembly materials for a Key Stage 1–3 poster and poetry competition for all young people across the two wards. CAG managed student submissions, co-judged entries with council officers, framed artwork for local library displays, and produced printed street banners for winning schools.

Citizen science workshops were offered to the general public, and also to groups in the area, including care home residents, places of worship, and local air quality groups.

CAG delivered tailored workshops for staff and residents at Highbury New Park and King Henry’s Walk care homes.

CAG worked with Islington Clean Air Parents (ICAP) group over a 12-month-period, CAG deployed Atmotube monitors, moderated a dedicated support group, and facilitated data-review sessions analysing personal exposure graphs, helping parents identify pollution spikes during commutes, indoor cooking, and market visits.

Public Resident Sessions were facilitated by CAG, providing open-access community workshops across local hubs, including Highbury Roundhouse, Mildmay Community Centre, Islington Central Library, and Islington Town Hall.

Digital Air Quality Website Evaluation & UX Research

LB Islington produced an air quality dashboard as part of their wider project. CAG were commissioned to engage with residents and get feedback on the dashboard and where improvements could be made.

CAG ran interactive stalls at Mildmay Community Centre’s Unity Day for local residents, and at Islington Central Library. CAG demonstrated the council’s new air quality website on laptops, assisted visitors with navigation, and administered usability surveys.

CAG designed and delivered two qualitative online Focus Groups to evaluate desktop and mobile user experience. These involved 16 diverse residents from 147 applicants.

CAG then synthesised user feedback from the engagement and focus groups into a 12-point strategic recommendation matrix for LB Islington, suggesting mobile-first responsive redesigns, traffic-light colour scales, plain-English summaries, and real-time peak pollution data.

What CAG Consultants Did