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Smell Gas? For gas emergency call 0800 111 999
For gas emergency call 0800 111 999 Smell Gas?

A Tonypandy primary school is flying the flag for gas safety after pupils took on board vital information from a visit from Wales & West Utilities and turned it into a creative design that has scooped joint top prize in a national competition.

Last year pupils at Ss. Gabriel and Raphael Catholic Primary School received a visit from the gas emergency and pipeline service’s Gas Safety Ambassadors, Gwyn Thomas and Rob Jones, who introduced children to the dangers of carbon monoxide, and the signs to look out for. Putting their newly-acquired knowledge to the test, they set about creating a film, to warn others of the dangers, which was so well thought out they impressed the judges of a national gas safety competition.

The pupils were named joint national winners of the competition, as well as winning the Key Stage 2 Wales entry of the ‘Get Creative, Be Safe’ competition scooping two prizes - £900 for the school and £150 for each of the four pupils.

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).

Mrs Lavagna, Headteacher at Ss. Gabriel and Raphael Catholic Primary School, said:

Thanks so much to Wales & West Utilities for coming to deliver the session. It was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to learn vital gas safety skills and the dangers of carbon monoxide.

We are delighted that our children won this competition and look forward to spending the money on new digital technology equipment.

Rob Jones, Gas Safety Ambassador at Wales & West Utilities, said:

I am so pleased the pupils took on board this information – it’s so important.

The standard of entries to this year’s competition was exceptionally high but this unique entry was a worthy winner as it was both informative and engaging.

On behalf of all GDN’s, I’d like to say a huge well done to the pupils at Ss. Gabriel and Raphael Catholic Primary School and hope that many others now benefit from their 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.