Wakefield schoolgirl wins national contest warning people of dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning

Six-year-old Lucy Rochford was picked as the winner of the annual schools’ carbon monoxide (CO) safety competition.

The competition called for young people aged between five and 11 to use creative skills to raise awareness of the dangers of CO, and is organised by the UK’s four gas distribution networks, supported by the Energy Networks Association.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) said entries were sent in from schoolchildren, clubs and organisations for young people.

Entries included videos, presentations, posters, cartoons, and poems, all designed to warn of the dangers of the gas which can’t be seen, smelled, heard or tasted.

Lucy won the UK national national KS1 prize and was awarded £450 for herself and £900 for her school, Wakefield Grammar Pre-Preparatory School.

And her creative and informative video could be used as a tool at national level to educate young people about CO poisoning.

Lucy’s head teacher Emma Gill said: “Lucy winning the competition has helped spread awareness around the dangers of CO and how to ensure CO safety across the school community.

“We are extremely proud of Lucy and delighted that she’s become an advocate for promoting the dangers of CO poisoning. We are looking at incorporating the video into school life with a plan ready to roll out in September.

“On behalf of the school community I would like to say a massive thank you to Lucy for teaching us all about CO safety.”

NGN’s vulnerability innovations lead Steve Dacre said: “Along with the other gas network companies, we were impressed by the creative entries that were submitted for this year’s competition and we hope that the process involved has helped the students, their households, schools and organisations, to recognise the potential dangers of CO.

"CO has no smell, taste or colour and lives are lost every year because of CO poisoning.

"It’s through awareness initiatives like this competition that safety messages such as getting gas appliances safety checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and the need for an audible CO alarm can reach more people across the UK and save lives.”