I was told to avoid air pollution because of my lung conditions but it's impossible where I live

We moved here 28 years ago, but this area has become much more built up since then. A retail park was built behind our back garden a year later, and a supermarket was built just two doors away 15 years ago.

We also live next to a dual carriageway and the traffic has got a lot heavier over the years. I feel very worried that just living in my home and walking around my local area could be making my lung conditions worse.

I can't leave my house as much as I used to

I have to walk along the side of the dual carriageway to get to my doctor’s surgery, but I don’t go out of the house as much as I used to because of the risks of air pollution.

I need to do regular exercise because of my lung conditions, but my nearest park is quite far away so I have to do my walking inside the house. I just pace back and forth in my living room for half an hour.

We have thought about moving house to an area where the air is cleaner, but we just couldn’t afford that at the moment.

I wish the plans for a clean air zone in Manchester hadn’t been cancelled

I know that the air quality in London has improved since they introduced a clean air zone. Sometimes I’ve looked at the air pollution levels in London and they’re lower than where I live, which is crazy.

To try to tackle the toxic air in my area, I’ve been protesting about the impact of deliveries to the supermarket close to my home.

This supermarket frequently receives deliveries from HGV lorries and the drivers sometimes leave their engines running for an hour while they’re unloading.

I’ve complained about this to the supermarket and my local council on multiple occasions, but the drivers still sometimes leave their engines on.

It feels like the wealthier areas have better air quality

It upsets me that there aren’t enough green spaces around here, because when you go to the wealthier areas of Manchester it feels like they have more than we do.

My nearest park is 25 minutes’ walk away and is also located next to the busy dual carriageway.

They’ve been so busy constructing shops and industrial units around here – all of these buildings that increase air pollution – but they haven’t created enough green spaces at all.

I think everyone should have access to a nice, proper green space within 15 minutes’ walk from their home, and more trees should be planted because they've been proven to help reduce levels of air pollution.