The Birmingham Botanical Gardens shortlisted for city’s best breathing spaces a second time

Birmingham citizens have voted Birmingham Botanical Gardens as one of the city’s favourite breathing spaces for the second year in a row.

The hugely popular green attraction was shortlisted for the top spot after the successful 2021 campaign, Taskforce for Lung Health made a comeback this year.

As part of the campaign, Birmingham residents were invited to vote for their favourite place in the city to ‘take a breath’ in an effort to boost awareness of issues surrounding lung health.

Launched in 2021, Taskforce for Lung Health is dedicated to a five-year plan which was established to provide better care for people suffering with lung disease and improve the overall lung health of the nation.

Approximately one in five people in the UK are diagnosed with a lung condition during their lifetime and in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country alone, it is estimated that almost 51,000 people have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a group of lung conditions which causes breathing difficulties.

Sarah Woolnough, interim-chair of the Taskforce for Lung Health, a collaboration of over 40 different charities and organisations aiming to improve the nation’s lung health, said: “We’re calling for Birmingham residents to support our campaign and take a moment to think about their own lung health. Breathing easily is very often something that can be taken for granted until taking a breath becomes a hard thing to do.”

Last year, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, a 15-acre garden in Edgbaston, was named the most popular breathing space in Birmingham with 21 percent of the public vote.

The winner was closely followed by Cannon Hill Park (19 per cent), canal-side at Mailbox (17 per cent), Winterbourne Gardens (10 per cent) and St Paul’s Square (10 per cent).

“We hope that following the survey, people across Birmingham will feel inspired to pause and ‘take a breath’ in the city’s favourite breathing spaces and show their solidarity with the tens of thousands of people in Birmingham who are living with a lung condition. It’s time to make good lung health a priority for us all”, said Ms Woolnough.

To nominate your favourite breathing space simply fill out the survey below. As a thanks for taking part, you’ll also have the chance to be entered into a competition to win a £150 Fitbit Versa 3.

To participate in the Taskforce for Lung Health survey click here