Primary schools across Daventry are being encouraged to take part in a national competition to raise awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning. I am encouraging all local schools to take part.
The competition, organised by local gas network Cadent, is designed to teach children about the dangers of CO and to help them keep safe. The competition is looking for entries from children aged between 5 and 11, in any form of media, such as eye-catching cartoons, videos, models, short stories or poems that are informative and accurate in warning of the dangers of CO poisoning. The winners will receive a prize for themselves and for their school, at an awards ceremony in the House of Commons in July.
Health experts know that CO exposure leads to more than 30 people a year losing their lives and 200 people being admitted to hospital. But it is not yet known how many undiagnosed cases return home, become ill again, or die from continued exposure to CO. The experts believe these figures could be a gross underestimation and the actual cost to the NHS is likely to be much more than the current estimate of £178million per annum.
Carbon Monoxide is the silent killer and this competition is a great way for children to learn about the dangers of CO and how to keep safe. It would be great to see as many schools as possible across Daventry taking part, and I look forward to seeing the entries coming in. I am certain that our children’s entries will be the cream of the crop, and I am sure I will be joining some of our local winners at the awards ceremony in the Commons this summer!
The competition is being run by Cadent, in conjunction with the Energy Networks Association. Entries must be submitted in the form of a JPEG photograph or coloured scan or as a link/attachment (if the entry is in video or digital form), and emailed along with the entrant’s name, age, school/organisation and postcode to: COSafetyCompetition@energynetworks.org (1 entry per entrant per email). Please note that submissions received by other means will not be entered into the competition. Entries are required to be submitted by midnight Friday 10th May 2019. More information can be found at: https://cadentgas.com/about-us/blog/co-safety-competition