VodafoneThree hosted the inaugural Breathe London Awards, bringing together industry leaders, healthcare partners, local authorities and community organisations to celebrate the pioneering projects improving air quality across the capital.
Held at VodafoneThree’s London headquarters on 16 June 2026, the event welcomed the Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Mete Coban MBE, the Breathe London consortium, and clean air advocates from across the city.
Air pollution may be invisible, but its impact on our health and communities is not. What Breathe London is doing – turning complex data into clear, local insight – is helping people act, not just observe.
Catherine Holiday, Head of Sustainability & Social Impact at VodafoneThree
The awards, supported by Breathe Cities, recognised organisations which have been using data from the Breathe London air quality network to drive meaningful change in communities, schools and healthcare settings across London.
Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Mete Coban MBE, said:
“I was honoured to host the inaugural Breathe London Awards today, to celebrate the fantastic efforts of community groups, health organisations and local authorities to raise awareness of air quality and empower their communities to take action to improve it. Congratulations to all the winners, I can’t wait to see how your projects develop in the future.
“It’s been great seeing how the Breathe London Initiative has grown over the past five years and today is a celebration of what can happen when we take action on air quality at a local level, to help build a cleaner, safer city for everyone.”
Celebrating London’s clean air pioneers
The winners of the 2026 Breathe London Awards showcase how data, collaboration and innovation can deliver tangible improvements in air quality and health outcomes:
- Community Collaboration: Knitting the Air
- Health & Wellbeing: Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts
- Local Authority Leadership: London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- Schools: William Byrd Primary School
- Storytelling: What’s the Matter CIC
- Judge’s Choice: Great Ormond Street Hospital
Powering cleaner air through technology and connectivity
Since June 2025, VodafoneThree has been leading a consortium of partners and providing the digital infrastructure that underpins the network in the next phase of the Mayor of London’s Breathe London Network.
By enabling connectivity for air quality sensors and supporting the platform that hosts and shares the data, VodafoneThree is helping turn real-time environmental insight into practical action. The company is also hosting sensors within its own sites and using its network capabilities to scale access to hyper-local data across the capital.
Through this work, VodafoneThree is demonstrating how advanced connectivity can be harnessed not just to connect people and businesses, but to accelerate environmental progress and improve public health outcomes.
The Breathe London network includes live sensors across 32 London boroughs and the City of London, making air pollution more visible, understandable and actionable.
Catherine Holiday, Head of Sustainability & Social Impact at VodafoneThree said:
“Air pollution may be invisible, but its impact on our health and communities is not. What Breathe London is doing – turning complex data into clear, local insight – is helping people act, not just observe. At VodafoneThree, we’re committed to using our network to power that shift, connecting sensors, scaling access to hyper-local data, and helping partners turn insight into real-world change. The organisations recognised today show what’s possible when technology, collaboration and local leadership come together, and why this work matters now more than ever.”
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Notes to Editors
Award winners
Community Collaboration Award – Knitting the Air
A powerful example of community-led innovation, Knitting the Air transforms air pollution data into a 13-metre knitted textile, bringing complex scientific information to life.
- Over 130 local residents aged 8 to 102 contributed more than 5,000 hours
- Reached 1,000+ people through exhibitions and events
- Sparked new conversations about pollution and health in Tower Hamlets
By combining art, science and participation, the project has made air quality data accessible and emotionally resonant.
Health & Wellbeing Award – Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts
This partnership is embedding air quality monitoring into healthcare to directly improve patient outcomes.
- Enabled targeted action such as reducing ambulance idling
- Demonstrated strong links between indoor and outdoor pollution
- Achieved a 16% reduction in particulate matter levels at a key hospital site
The project shows how environmental data can be integrated into healthcare to drive measurable change.
Local Authority Leadership Award – London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets has delivered a low-cost, high-impact model for tackling engine idling.
- Installed 400+ anti-idling signs and carried out 228 patrols
- Engaged 800+ drivers and delivered school workshops
- Reduced NO₂ levels at school hotspots by 19–27%
This scalable approach combines data, education and enforcement to change behaviour at scale.
Schools Award – William Byrd Primary School
William Byrd Primary School is empowering pupils to act on air quality using real-world data.
- Active travel increased from ~40% to over 60%
- Over 80% of pupils can explain air pollution and its impacts
- Pupils are leading initiatives including tree planting and Walk to School campaigns
The project is helping build a generation that is informed, engaged and motivated to improve air quality.
Storytelling Award – What’s the Matter CIC
This innovative initiative connects data with lived experience through art, health and community engagement.
- Uses festivals, installations and workshops to translate data into tangible insights
- Brings together NHS partners, researchers and local communities
- Develops tools to help individuals reduce their personal exposure
The project highlights the power of storytelling in bridging the gap between data and action.
Judge’s Choice Award – Great Ormond Street Hospital
Recognised for its vision to create London’s first “Healthy Hospital Street”, this project aims to reduce pollution exposure for vulnerable patients.
- Reimagines urban space around hospitals to prioritise health
- Introduces green infrastructure, active travel routes and community design
- Provides a model that could be replicated across the NHS
Runners-up
- Community Collaboration: Hope Gardens W10 Community Project
- Health & Wellbeing: Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital
- Local Authority Leadership: Westminster City Council
- Schools: Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC)
- Storytelling: Breathe London Brixton
Breathe London Initiative
The Breathe London Initiative supports local communities, schools, hospitals and Londoners to take action on air pollution by measuring air quality across the capital and making air quality data publicly accessible.
The Initiative is supported by the Mayor of London, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Clean Air Fund. It comprises a number of programmes, including the Breathe London Network and the Breathe London Community Programme. The Breathe London Network is delivered by Vodafone in collaboration with Global Action Plan, Airly, Ricardo, Scotswolds Ltd, Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants (CERC) and the University of Cambridge. The Breathe London Community Programme is delivered by Imperial College London and The Social Innovation Partnership, working with communities across London to monitor local air quality and support action to improve it.
