On the 11th of July, 10 schoolchildren, their families and teachers, gas industry representatives and MPs gathered together in Parliament for the Carbon Monoxide (CO) Safety Competition prize giving. The event celebrated the winners, ages 5 to 11, for their wonderfully creative and imaginative work on CO safety and raising awareness about CO more generally. 

Sponsored by the Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs) and organised by the Energy Networks Association (ENA), the annual CO Safety Competition (now in its eleventh year) promotes CO safety in schools by encouraging children to create entries that raise awareness of CO. This year’s 10 regional winners and 2 national winners were drawn from 1,143 entries. The winning pieces ranged from posters highlighting the symptoms of CO poisoning to a rap warning about the dangers of CO poisoning, which attendees had the pleasure of seeing performed live at the ceremony.

Before the prize giving, winners enjoyed a boat trip along the River Thames with their families and GDN representatives, enjoying the lovely weather and seeing the sights in London. APPCOG co-chair Barry Sheerman MP presented the awards and praised the children for their hard work and creativity. Each winner received a trophy, a cheque for themselves and their school, and had their entry displayed in Parliament. Some winners were also lucky enough to be visited by their local MPs, including: Barry Gardiner MP; Alan Campbell MP; Anna McMorrin MP; David Linden MP; and John Penrose MP.

Speaking at the ceremony, Barry Sheerman MP said:

“The CO Safety Competition is a great way for children to learn about and engage with carbon monoxide (CO) safety. It was lovely to see so many young people in Parliament, to meet all their wonderful families and teachers and to recognise their hard work, talent and creative contributions.”

The CO Safety Competition was praised for not only educating children, but also their families, fellow pupils, and the teachers who support them. Chris Bielby from SGN summed up the importance of the event by saying:

“I am always amazed at the level and diversity of entries. The 10 children who attended the Schools Safety event in the Attlee suite should be very proud indeed as their submissions were remarkable. The amount of skill and care & attention to detail was perfect for key stage 1 and 2. Of course next year we are extending the invite for submissions to key stage 3 children as well.”

The event was hosted by the Energy Networks Association and sponsored by the Gas Distribution Networks; Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales and West Utilities.