Council contributes £2,000 for permanent memorial to Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah

Many people across London know the story of young Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah, who tragically died nearly ten years ago as a result of air pollution, the first person in London to have air pollution registered as cause of death. She was just nine years old.

This week, the Council announced a £2,000 donation to a fundraiser by the Ella Roberta Foundation to help create a sculpture of Ella based in Mountsfield Park, Lewisham.
It will help fund a pollution-absorbing sculpture to make the invisible threat of air pollution visible, raising awareness of the role air pollution plays in poor health and unnecessary deaths like Ella’s. Around 9,400 premature deaths are attributed to poor air quality in London. The creation of a sculpture in Ella’s favourite London park is central to this work. The Foundation wants to raise £15,000 towards the cost of the sculpture.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, Ella’s mum, and an influential air quality campaigner in Lewisham, has been working hard to raise awareness and prompt action to improve air quality. The memorial will not just raise awareness of air pollution, it will also absorb nitrogen dioxide and use a real-time sensor to measure pollution levels in the park.

Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan, said:

“We think this is a great idea – a really special way to remember Ella, as well as an important talking point and way to improve air quality right here in the park. I’m delighted to confirm that the Council will be contributing £2,000 to the fundraiser. I know how generous the people of Lewisham are from previous campaigns, so if they would like to donate to the fundraiser they can at the Foundation’s website.”

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said:

“After the inquest in 2020, when the Coroner found that air pollution contributed to Ella’s death, he wrote a report to help prevent any future deaths like Ella’s. In it he said how important it was that people became aware of the health impact of air pollution. I believe this statue will help do that. Please give generously and ensure Ella’s death helps others to live.”

The site of Ella's statue is Mountsfield Park in London Borough of Lewisham, where it will be situated in the flower garden circle near the Park cafe. Meadow flowers will be planted all around the statue and alongside a real-time air quality sensor.

You can donate at the Foundation’s Go Fund Me page and watch the announcement video here.