ExxonMobil Fawley makes £5,000 donation towards carbon monoxide alarm appeal

CO is known as the silent killer - you can’t see, smell, or taste it. Around 60 people in England and Wales die from CO poisoning each year, often due to badly fitted or poorly maintained appliances within the home.

Alarms are the only way to detect carbon monoxide and yet an estimated two-thirds of homes don’t have them. That’s why the Blue Lamp Trust, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting and enhancing community safety throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, launched a campaign to raise £10,000 to purchase alarms to help keep elderly and vulnerable people across the region safe.

David Watkins, Business Development Manager for the Blue Lamp Trust, said: “Leaks in the home left undetected can cause people to become seriously ill and, in some cases, lead to death. Simply by fitting carbon monoxide monitors in the home we can save lives. We appealed to our supporters and sponsors to help us buy a year’s supply of alarms and, thanks to them, we have exceeded our original target.”

ExxonMobil Fawley has been a supporter of the trust for many years and made a £5,000 contribution towards the alarm campaign. Theresa Pratt, the Blue Lamp Trust’s General Manager, said: “The Blue Lamp Trust is extremely grateful for ExxonMobil Fawley’s continued support. With people spending more time indoors during the COVID-19 lockdown, elderly, and vulnerable people who are living alone are at particular risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from devices such as gas cookers, boilers, wood burners and gas heaters.

“This donation will help us towards our target to install 800 carbon monoxide detectors in people’s homes over the coming months and potentially save the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.”

Angharad Vaughan, ExxonMobil Fawley’s Community Affairs Adviser, said: “Safety is our number one priority at Fawley and so this appeal by the Blue Lamp Trust to help protect people from carbon monoxide poisoning in their own homes is something we are delighted to support for a second year in a row.

“We know that elderly and vulnerable people are at greater risk of being exposed to the effects of carbon monoxide and so it is vital that they have the support of organisations like the Blue Lamp Trust to help keep them safe.”

• To find out more about the Blue Lamp Trust, go to bluelamptrust.org.uk.

Pictured below: Lead Fitter Mark Scovell talks to a client about the importance of fitting a carbon monoxide detector.

Notes for editors:

• ExxonMobil at Fawley is the collective name given to Esso Petroleum Company Limited and ExxonMobil Chemical Limited which are part of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
• The Fawley refinery is the largest in the UK. Approximately one in six cars in the UK operates on fuel produced at Fawley.
• Over the past six years, ExxonMobil at Fawley has contributed more than £1m in community support.

For more information, contact Angharad Vaughan, Community Affairs Adviser, ExxonMobil Fawley. Email: angharad.j.vaughan@exxonmobil.com.

• For more information about the Blue Lamp Trust, contact David Watkins on 0300 777 0157.