Kew Rotary donate 100 carbon monoxide alarms to local groups
Rotary Club of Kew Gardens takes action to safeguard vulnerable local residents
5 August – Around 50 people in the UK die every year, with hundreds more made seriously ill, due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from poorly installed, badly maintained or defective gas appliances, and hardly a week goes by without another report of a home owner or tenant in rented accommodation killed or made seriously ill by fumes from old or poorly maintained gas or solid fuel equipment, such as boilers or water heaters. Taking steps to safeguard vulnerable local residents, the Rotary Club of Kew Gardens secured 100 Carbon Monoxide alarms, worth £3000, from leading manufacturer Honeywell, kindly arranged by the Gas Safety Trust.
Kew Rotary is distributing the alarms to local groups including the Kew Community Trust, Stepping on Out, Abbeyfields, INS (Integrated Neurological Services), FiSH and other groups in the immediate area. These groups have promised to hand them out to local residents.
President of Kew Gardens Rotary Club, Mike Akers, said, “We became aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide and felt we could help the community in the Richmond area by ensuring that CO alarms are available to those in our community less able to afford to purchase one. We therefore secured a quantity of these alarms from Honeywell through the kind offices of the Gas Safety Trust. We are making them available to the elderly, students and the disabled through other local charitable organisations.
“As fuel bills rise, there is a danger that the vulnerable will not have the means to protect themselves as fully as the rest of us.”
You cannot see or smell carbon monoxide but there are vital signs to look out for such as sooting and staining on or around your gas boiler or appliance; excessive condensation in the room where an appliance is installed; another key indicator is lazy, yellow-orange gas flames instead of blue.
Fitting a European Standard certified audible carbon monoxide alarm is a vital second line of defence after having your appliances safety checked. It is essential that your alarm is marked with the EN50291 safety standard and with the CE mark.
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Issued on behalf of the Rotary Club of Kew Gardens by Next Step Marketing Ltd
Media enquiries to: Heather Lambert
Tel: 44(0)1256 472020
Fax: 44(0)1256 471010
E-mail: heather@nextstepmarketing.co.uk
Note to Editors
Research indicates that nearly a quarter of UK homes have one or more defective gas appliances and almost 1 in 10 is judged to be at risk of producing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
The Gas Safety Trust, established in 2005 as a registered charitable body, has become the UK’s leading gas safety charity with the key objectives of further improving gas/fossil fuel safety for the public and industry throughout the United Kingdom and reducing the incidents of death and serious injury from carbon monoxide exposure. For more information see: http://www.gas-safety-trust.org.uk.
The Rotary Club of Kew Gardens is an organisation dedicated to serving the local community. By combining their skills and resources, members of Rotary are able to make a real contribution to the lives of others by raising thousands of pounds for community projects and local charities. Members also volunteer their time – supervising community events, running a host of projects aimed at promoting the achievements of young people, coordinating educational programmes, and supporting local businesses. For more information on the range of their work see: http://www.kewrotary.org.uk.
For more information on how to spot the danger signs or for information on Gas Safe registered engineers, contact the free Heating Helpline on 0800 840 4069 or visit the website at: http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk.
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