Deaths from carbon monoxide, the 'silent killer', spike in winter, yet more than one in three UK households still lack a CO alarm. For Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, we built SGN's broadcast PR campaign around that warning: each year 40 to 60 people in the UK die from accidental CO poisoning and over 4,000 are hospitalised. We put SGN's Social Impact Programme Lead on air across a radio day of interviews, urging listeners to fit a working, regularly tested CO alarm and have gas appliances serviced every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The campaign secured 9 items of radio coverage reaching 1.4 million, including BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey and Greatest Hits Radio Surrey & East Hampshire.
9Items of coverage
1.4 millionCombined reach
45m 49sTime on air
Listen
BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey · 7m 02s
0:00 / 7m 02s
The story
SGN, Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week
The aim
SGN wanted to cut the risk of carbon monoxide harm by getting households to fit CO alarms and service gas appliances every year.
The message
Carbon monoxide is a highly dangerous, poisonous gas. Always have a working, regularly tested CO alarm near gas appliances and have them serviced every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
The angle
This Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, SGN warned that more than one in three UK households still lack a CO alarm, as deaths from the 'silent killer' spike in winter. Each year 40 to 60 people in the UK die from accidental CO poisoning and over 4,000 are hospitalised.
On air
SGN's Social Impact Programme Lead
The result
9 items of coverage reaching 1.4 million, including BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey, Greatest Hits Radio Surrey & East Hampshire.
About Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week
Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week is a UK campaign supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group, gas industry bodies and safety charities. It explains the sources and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and encourages people to fit alarms as they turn their heating on. The 2025 week ran from 17 to 23 November. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week for 2027?
Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week usually runs in the second half of November. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
