New Year Honours 2023: Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah made CBE (original) (raw)

A mother campaigning against air pollution after her daughter's death says being made a CBE is "bittersweet".

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, from Lewisham in south-east London, has been named in the New Year Honours list for services to public health.

She has been fighting to introduce the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill - or "Ella's law", named after her daughter.

Ella, nine, became the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death at an inquest in the UK.

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said the CBE was "an absolute honour, and recognition for the campaign".

She added her daughter, who died in 2013, "would be over the moon, she would be overjoyed".

"Although I got the inquest victory, she would be really, really proud that I just didn't give up."

At the conclusion of Ella's inquest in 2020, coroner Philip Barlow said she had been exposed to excessive levels of pollution before her death in February 2013.

The inquest heard that in the three years before her death, she had multiple seizures and was admitted to hospital 27 times.

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah described being made a CBE as "a bittersweet moment".

"When I went to the cemetery on Christmas Day because we had to go and sort out Ella's grave I was like, 'Ah, your mum got a CBE and you're not here to see it'."

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debra said she continued to push for greater action on air pollution and had written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"I mentioned the fact that until the air is clean, this whole thing with the NHS is going to continue, because prevention is better than cure."