Pupils at Welford Primary School, in Welford-on-Avon, were joined by local MP and Children’s Minister Nadhim Zahawi, for a lesson in the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning.
On Friday (24 May) Year 2 youngsters enjoyed an afternoon of free fun, educational activities designed to keep them and their families safe from deadly CO, courtesy of cuddly caped crusading bear, Safety Seymour, and his friends at local gas network Cadent.
Joining them for the start of the workshop, Mr Zahawi MP said:
Carbon Monoxide is the silent killer and this workshop is a great way for children to learn about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide and how to keep safe.
I would encourage as many schools as possible across the local area to consider teaching children about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide, and Safety Seymour is a great way to do this.
My thanks go to Cadent for supporting Safety Seymour and running the session
The workshop, developed by Cadent, teaches children how to spot the signs of CO, recognise the symptoms of CO poisoning, and how to stay safe. At the end of the session, youngsters take home their very own Safety Seymour bear, a CO treasure hunt to do around their home and a CO alarm.
Tom Bradley, from Cadent, said: It was great to be able to welcome Nadhim to the school to see one of our Safety Seymour workshops in action, and I’m delighted he was impressed with what we offer.
These workshops are just one of the ways that we are helping to keep the communities we serve safe. The Safety Seymour workshops complement our CO poster competition that we run for schoolchildren annually, as well as our work with local fire services and charities to reach those most at risk of CO poisoning.
Faulty or badly maintained gas appliances can leak deadly CO, which kills more than 30 people a year and results in 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.
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.
Here are Safety Seymour’s three steps to staying CO safe:
Schools can find out more about the Safety Seymour sessions by going to: https://cadentgas.com/about-us/responsibility/working-with-schools/teaching-children-about-carbon-monoxide/safety-seymour-in-schools
Safety Seymour is Cadent’s specially-designed initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) to schoolchildren. The workshops have been developed to target Key Stage 1 aged children, as well as to take the message home to their families and friends.
Since the start of the programme Cadent have increased the number of schools and classes each year. This academic year we have reached 180 classes. This totals around 11,500 children directly and a further 25,000 indirectly.
Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.
Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.
Cadent manages the national gas emergency service free phone line on behalf of the gas industry - 0800 111 999*
Cadent Gas Ltd is owned by a consortium of global investors.
*All calls are recorded and may be monitored.
