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An Exminster Primary pupil is helping to spread vital gas safety messages across the region after winning one of the top prizes in a national competition.

Yasmin was named the regional winner for the south west of England after her eye-catching, creative design, to warn others about the dangers of carbon monoxide, impressed the judges of a national gas safety competition.

Yasmin won the Key Stage 2 south west of England entry of the ‘Get Creative, Be Safe’ competition scooping two prizes - £150 for herself and £300 for her school.

The ‘Get Creative, Be Safe’ competition is run nationally by UK Gas Distribution Networks (GDN’s) - Wales and West Utilities, Northern Gas Networks (NGN) and Scotia Gas Networks (SGN). Each year the competition invites school-age children to produce something creative to warn of the dangers of the silent killer, carbon monoxide (CO).

Yasmin put her creative skills to the test producing an informative poster that warns others of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and the signs to look out for.

Yasmin was happy when she received the news that she won and said:

I’m really happy and enjoyed designing and colouring the poster.

Carbon monoxide, and the dangers of gas, should be known by everyone and I hope my poster will help people to stay safe.

Sarah Whalley, Co-Head of Exminster Primary School, said:

Yasmin’s design is fantastic and we are all very proud of her. Winning this competition is huge and she’s already shared the important safety messages with the whole school.

We’d also like to thank Yasmin as her win has meant that us, as a school, benefits too and we are grateful for this money, which will now be put to good use by our mental health ambassadors and eco-team.

Paisley Carpenter, Community & Partnerships Officer at Wales & West Utilities, said:

The standard of entries to this year’s competition was exceptionally high but Yasmin’s design was a very worthy winner! Not only was it informative but it was eye-catching and colourful.

On behalf of the GDN’s I’d like to say a huge well done to Yasmin and hope that many others now benefit from her gas safety knowledge.

By entering the competition we hope more youngsters have been able to help spread the vital gas safety messages to their friends and loved ones.

Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ and symptoms of CO poisoning can be mistaken for food poisoning and the flu, due to their similarities, which can include headaches, tiredness, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, shortness of breath and, in extreme cases, loss of consciousness, and even death. The most significant source of exposure to carbon monoxide for the general public is from cooking or other fuel burning appliances, such as home boilers and log burners. The risks of carbon monoxide poisoning increases if these appliances are poorly installed, faulty or used inappropriately without adequate ventilation.

As the gas emergency and pipeline service for Wales and south west of England, Wales & West Utilities is urging people to stay safe by taking simple actions including:

  • Get a certified, audible carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a gas appliance and test it regularly.
  • Have all your gas appliances serviced every year by a Gas Safe register engineer. If you rent your home, ask for a copy of the landlord’s current Gas Safety Record.
  • Know the signs of carbon monoxide: Look out for your gas hob burning a floppy yellow or orange, where it should be crisp and blue; pilot lights on boilers frequently blowing out; extra condensation inside your window; soot or yellow stains around appliances.
  • Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: similar to the flu or food poisoning without a high temperature.
  • If your alarm sounds, or you suspect carbon monoxide, take action: move outside into fresh air, leaving doors and windows open as you go. Then call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. In a medical emergency, don't delay, call 999 immediately.

Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If you smell gas, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, call them on 0800 111 999 straight away, and engineers will be there to help any time of day or night