Youngsters invited to submit entries to Gas Safety Carbon Monoxide Poster Competition
Entries should be accurate, eye catching and informative
Nationwide competition – which offers cash prizes - is now in its tenth year
Potential Picassos and other budding creative types with an eye for safety are being invited to take part in an annual competition to design an eye catching gas safety poster warning of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide.
Open to schoolchildren in key stages 1 and 2 (ages 5 to 11) the competition asks pupils to produce an eye-catching poster, poem or entry in another medium which is both informative and accurate and which warns of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and how to avoid them.
The competition will be officially launched on Wednesday 11 January 2017 after which entries can be submitted.
Thereafter the competition timetable will be as follows:
- Friday 5 May 2017 – Closing date for entries
- W/C Monday 15 May and Monday 22 May 2017 – Local judging
- W/C Monday 29 May and Monday 5 June 2017 - National judging
- W/C Monday 19 June and Monday 26 June – Prize Giving Event in the palace of Westminster
- Known as the silent killer Carbon Monoxide is responsible for deaths, illness and hospitalisations each year.
First launched in 2007 the competition was previously run by charity CO-Gas Safety Gas in partnership with Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs), but this year the GDNs, including National Grid, have taken over the running of the competition.
Entrants stand a chance of winning the following prizes:
National Winner: Winner will receive £300 for themselves and £600 for their school/organisation.(National prize will be in addition to the area prize)
Area Winner: Winners will receive £150 each and £300 for their school or organisations (See terms and conditions).
Phil Burrows, National Grid Gas Distribution Stakeholder Implementation Manager, said:
“Sadly each year lives are lost and many other people have to be admitted to hospital and suffer health problems because of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
“However this could be avoided if awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide was better known and people took some simple precautions such as getting their gas appliances checked each year by a Gas Safe registered engineer and having a Carbon Monoxide alarm.”
He added: “We hope the competition will be an enjoyable way to improve Carbon Monoxide awareness and I would encourage as many children as possible to enter.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to have some fun, exercise their creative talents and have a chance of winning some great prizes while relaying an important safety message.”
For more details on the competition please visit http://bit.ly/COSchoolSafetyComp
Entries can be emailed to: coschoolcompetition@energynetworks.org
Competition terms and conditions can be found below and also at:http://www.energynetworks.org/assets/files/news/releases-and-news/Terms_Conditions_GDN_CO_SchoolSafetyCompetition2017.pdf
For more information on Carbon Monoxide Safety go to www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Safety/Carbon-Monoxide
More information on gas safety and how to get domestic and commercial appliances checked and installed by qualified engineers is also available at www.gassaferegister.co.uk/
Gas Distribution Networks (GDN’s) Carbon Monoxide (CO) School Safety Competition 2017
– Terms & Conditions
1. The competition is coordinated by the Energy Networks Association (ENA) on behalf of the Gas Distribution Networks (GDN’s) across Great Britain.
2. The competition asks students to produce an informative, accurate and eye-catching piece of media warning of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and/or fumes and/or how to avoid them. Material about CO and how to avoid it and other fuel toxins can be found at http://www.energynetworks.org/gas/she/carbon-monoxide.html
3. Students are eligible to enter the competition if they are currently in Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2 at a school/organisation (which can include uniformed organisations such as Scouts, Brownies and Guides etc.) in Great Britain, or are 5 -11 years of age and home educated in Great Britain.
4. Students can use any medium (poster, video, short story, poem, model, painting etc.) provided it is the individual student’s own individual and original work.
5. Entries must be submitted in the form of a JPEG photograph or coloured scan or as a link/attachment (if entry is in video or digital form), and emailed along with the student’s name, age, teacher, school and post code to: coschoolcompetition@energynetworks.org (1 entry per student per email)
6. Entries are required to be submitted by midnight Friday 5 May 2017.
7. There will be eight area winners, one from each Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 within each area, represented by the corresponding GDN. The GDN’s and their corresponding areas are as follows: National Grid Distribution = North West of England, East of England, West Midlands and London; Northern Gas Networks = Northern England; SGN = Southern England, Scotland; Wales & West Utilities = Wales, South West England. There will be one national winner chosen from the pool of area winners.
8. Winning entries will be judged on their creative merit and effectiveness of their carbon monoxide poisoning safety awareness message. Area winners will be judged by representatives from their corresponding GDN between the dates Monday 15 May – Monday 29 May 2017. The national winner will be judged between the dates Monday 29 May – Monday 12 June 2017, by a panel of representatives from the four GDN’s including an independent member whose name is available on request. The judges’ decision on all matters will be final.
9. The area winners will receive £150 each and £300 for their school/organisation. The national winner will receive £300 for themselves and £600 for their school/organisation.
10. The area winners will be notified in writing to their school/organisation or home school contact by Monday 29 May 2017. All area winners will be invited to attend a local prize giving ceremony facilitated by the GDN in their area before the end of summer term (dates TBC 2017) and then invited to a national award ceremony to be held at the Palace of Westminster, London in June 2017 (date TBC) where all winners will receive their cheque prizes and a national winner chosen from the pool of area winners, will be announced and awarded their prize.
11. The area winners will be publically announced via a local press release from the corresponding GDN by 29 May 2017 and their entries may be put on display in the media or used to create further awareness. The national winning entry will be announced on the day of the national award ceremony at the Palace of Westminster, London in June 2017. This entry may also be put on display in the media or used to raise further awareness.
12. The competition is being sponsored by National Grid Distribution, Northern Gas Networks, SGN, and Wales & West Utilities.
13. Upon entry, all entrants agree that all copyright and other intellectual rights to the posters will become the property of the Energy Networks Association.
* For those students home educated, parents can nominate either a school/organisation, Local Education Authority, or carbon monoxide safety charity to receive the winning prize for the ‘school/organisation’.
For further information please email coschoolcompetition@energynetworks.org
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that is produced when fossil fuels - coal, wood, oil and gas, are burnt without adequate air ventilation. Approximately 4,000 people are diagnosed with CO poisoning each year.
CO is:
- Colourless
- Odourless
- Tasteless
The symptoms of CO poisoning include:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Tiredness
- Dizziness
- Chest and/or stomach pains
If you experience any of the above symptoms you should seek medical advice straight away.
Three tips which could save your life:
- Ensure gas appliances are installed, maintained and fixed by Gas Safe registered engineers only, find one in your area at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk
- Have your gas appliances checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Sign up to www.staygassafe.co.uk for a free reminder service
- Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm which will alert you if dangerous levels of CO are present.
In a medical emergency, don't delay: phone 999
Useful numbers
24-hour national gas emergency : 0800 111 999
Gas emergency minicom: 0800 371787
Solid fuel advice: 0845 6014 406
Health & Safety CO advice line: 0800 300 363
OFTEC oil-fired appliance advice: 0845 6585 080
Gas Safe Register information: 0800 408 5500
*0845 numbers will cost 7 per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a silent killer. Do you have a CO Alarm?
Notes to editors - archive
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National Grid in the UK:
- We own the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales, operating it across Great Britain
- We own and operate the high pressure gas transmission system in Britain
- Our gas distribution business delivers gas to 10.9 million homes and businesses
- We also own a number of related businesses including LNG importation, land remediation and metering
- National Grid manages the National Gas Emergency Service free phone line on behalf of the industry - 0800 111 999 (all calls are recorded and may be monitored).
- Our portfolio of other businesses is mainly concerned with infrastructure provision and related services where we can exploit our core skills and assets to create value. These businesses operate in areas such as Metering, Grain LNG Import, Interconnectors and Property. National Grid Carbon Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid. It undertakes Carbon Capture Storage related activities on behalf of National Grid.
Find out more about the energy challenge and how National Grid is helping find solutions to some of the challenges we face at www.nationalgridconnecting.com
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