A Rochester student has won both national and regional first place awards for a creative project highlighting the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) in our annual safety competition.
Daniel's winning poster
Daniel Georgiev, aged nine, from St Margaret’s at Troy Town (SMATT) Primary School, impressed judges with his informative poster. Inspired by a safety workshop held at his school by our partners Bonanza Creative, Daniel’s artwork highlighted the importance of installing CO alarms to detect the ‘silent killer’, as well as what symptoms to look out for. The highly poisonous gas is produced by the incomplete burning of gas, and has no smell, taste, or colour.
As regional and joint national winner for his age group, Daniel won cash prizes of £450 for himself and £900 for his school, to support further educational initiatives.
The annual competition, which runs nationally, invites budding young artists to highlight the dangers of CO poisoning and how to prevent it, by submitting a piece of artwork such as a poster, poem, cartoon or short video.
When presented with his award, Daniel said: “I love making school projects. When I heard about the competition, I entered right away. It was nice to learn about CO and I am happy I won.”
Katie Willis, school headteacher, praised Daniel’s achievement and highlighted how important it is for primary school pupils to learn about the dangers of the poisonous gas:
“On behalf of everyone at SMATT Rochester, we are incredibly proud of Daniel for his fantastic achievement in being named both the KS2 regional winner and joint national winner. Opportunities like this competition allow our pupils to engage meaningfully with important topics such as carbon monoxide safety, while encouraging creativity and raising awareness in a memorable way.
Headteacher Katie Willis ready to present Daniel with his winner’s certificates
“The prize winnings will provide valuable opportunities to further enhance our pupils’ learning experiences, supporting resources and initiatives that promote safety, creativity and enrichment across the school. We are very grateful for this opportunity and the continued commitment to educating young people about such an important issue.”
Dan Edwards, our Social Impact Project Lead, expressed how important it is for school-aged children to learn about the dangers of CO poisoning and how to stay safe:
“This competition is an excellent way to engage young people in safety awareness from an early age. Daniel’s project clearly demonstrated his understanding of the risks associated with carbon monoxide and the importance of preventative measures.
“We congratulate him and all the students who participated this year for their efforts in helping to spread such an important message.”
To be sure your home is safe from the ‘silent killer’ all year round, ensure gas appliances are checked annually by a Gas Safe Registered engineer and install CO alarms near to any gas appliances.
For more information on carbon monoxide safety and to find a Gas Safe registered engineer, visit SGN’s online Help and Advice section.
To enter and be in with a chance of winning next year’s competition, please go to: www.ukgdns.com/get-creative-be-safe