The death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah was linked to unlawful levels of air pollution
(Picture: PA Media)Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah’s mum has been raising money for a pollution-absorbing statue in her daughter’s memory.
The nine-year-old, who lived near the South Circular road, died in February 2013 after a severe asthma attack caused a fatal cardiac arrest.
She became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death after a coroner ruled it had “made a material contribution” to her death.
Her mother Rosamund Adoo Kissi-Debrah wants the statue to “serve as a reminder to people about the detrimental impact of air pollution”.
She told The Standard: “If it wasn’t for the air pollution where we live, she would be here now, she would be 18. I believe that every child has a right to breathe clean air.
“Every year we lose up to a classroom of children to asthma and it really shouldn’t happen. Ella would want us to continue to highlight this. It’s to save other families from going through this.
“I really hope it serves as a lasting memory and it keeps the conversation going.”
The fundraiser, launched by the Ella Roberta Family Foundation (ERFF), is aiming to raise £78,500 to erect a sculpture in Lewisham where the little girl lived.
Ms Adoo Kissi-Debrah said it “means everything” for her daughter to be remembered and wants her memory “to be used to do some good if it saves other children’s lives”.
The sculpture will be made from NOXTEK, a ceramic material which can absorb nitrogen dioxide and help to reduce air pollution in the area around it.
Its designer, artist and physicist Dr Jasmine Pradissitto, is the first to use this cutting-edge material in sculpture.
Despite its pollution-absorbing properties, Dr Pradissitto said it was “not an answer to clean air but it is a way of driving the narrative”.
“For me, it’s remembering Ella but it’s also about how we become better future ancestors,” she said.
The piece will feature the little girl’s sleeping face surrounded by flowing forms inspired by flight and nature, subjects her mum revealed her daughter was passionate about.
The statue will be planted among a field of wild meadow flowers as part of rewilding efforts in the borough.
Already it is creating a buzz in Lewisham which is the Mayor’s London borough of culture for 2022.
Joss Taylor, head of enterprise and placemaking at Bow Arts Trust, also a trustee of the foundation, said residents of Lewisham are “really keen to see long-term culture” and the artwork is a “story that relates to people” who live there.
He said: “Ella was the first person to have air pollution on her death certificate. That in itself is something that local people want to talk about.
“They want to talk about their future, what are we going to leave behind for the future residents of this borough. Having a beautiful object that has a very practical strong message, something that could change the environment and raise awareness locally, might help shift people’s idea about how they treat the world.”
To donate to the fundraiser or find out any more information, please click here.
