Organisers have declared the UK’s first ever week dedicated to ending the scourge of damp and mould a resounding success.
Hundreds of people took part in events organised as part of Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week, which received backing from MPs, landlords, housing officials, lobbying groups, and even a note of commendation from the King.
Damp and mould affects millions of households in the UK, costing the NHS billions of pounds every year.
Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week was launched by home life safety specialists Aico to raise awareness of the issue and encourage individuals and organisations to work together to tackle it.
During the week, around 600 people took part in a series of webinars focusing on tackling damp and mould and looking at associated health impacts.
Awareness also extended to the media, with press, radio and TV coverage reaching in excess of three million people.
Helen Morgan MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health and Social Care, praised the campaign.
Ms Morgan, who is also MP for the North Shropshire constituency in which Aico is based, said: “Problems with damp and mould cost the NHS over £2.5 billion every year, causing misery for seven million households.
“I commend the organisers of Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week for shining a spotlight on an important issue, and raising public awareness of the scale of the challenge.
“I’m proud to see Aico, a North Shropshire business, taking a leading role.”
Tony Boyle, Regional Director at Aico, said: “We are delighted with the way the first ever Damp & Mould Action and Awareness Week has gone. We have had a great deal of engagement through local housing associations and sign-ups to our webinars, which has been great to see.
“Of course, this is only the start. The main aim of this inaugural event was to establish it as an event in people’s calendars and to gauge the level of interest. We are already turning our attention to next year, and hope to make it even bigger and better.”
