Bath youngster, Bluebelle Paul, has won a national gas safety competition after channelling her creative talent to produce an informative cartoon warning of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and the signs to look out for.
Bluebelle, age 11, who now attends Ralph Allen School, was at Combe Down Primary School when she put pen to paper to come up with her design and enter the ‘Get Creative, Be Safe’ competition. She has scooped both the regional element of the competition and the top prize, picking up £450 for herself and £900 for Church of England Primary, after judges hailed her cartoon as ‘fantastic’.
The ‘Get Creative, Be Safe’ competition is run nationally by industry body, Energy Networks Association, and is supported locally by gas emergency and pipeline service Wales & West Utilities. Each year it invites children aged 5-11 to produce something creative to warn of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
On hearing she’d won the competition, Bluebelle said, “Carbon monoxide poisoning is so dangerous but sometimes people my age don’t know what signs to look out for. I wanted to come up with something that my friends would find interesting and decided to develop a cartoon.
“I really enjoyed coming up with the story and hope that it’ll help other people to recognise the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. I can’t believe I’ve won – it’s amazing!”
Head teacher at Combe Down Primary, Mrs Gascoigne, is delighted and added, “Bluebelle took an innovative approach to the competition and is a worthy winner – we are all very proud of her! Thanks to Bluebelle, our school has also benefitted, and we’d like to thank her. The prize money will be gratefully received and we are delighted to have a national competition winner in our midst!”