JAYDEE-LEE BURKE

JAYDEE-LEE BURKE

Jaydee-Lee is a bright and bubbly seven-year-old who loves learning. So when Wales and West Utilities visited her school to give a lesson on gas safety, she came home excited about what she’d learned that day.


Three weeks later, Jaydee-Lee went to bed as usual but woke in the middle of the night to find her younger brother acting strangely. Laylan, four, was disoriented and saying there was someone at the bottom of his bed.


Their mum, Lindy, thought he was just sleepwalking but Jaydee-Lee had learned about the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, and a few seconds later, she noticed the flickering of a red light. The light on the family’s carbon monoxide detector had turned from green to red, but with no alarm sounding, Lindy would not have noticed.


Jaydee-Lee took control of the situation and even remembered the gas emergency number – 0800 111 999 – for her mum to dial. The family were told to open all the windows and doors, and go downstairs until emergency engineer Sean Ward came to help.

Without Jaydee-Lee’s quick thinking and her recognition in the changing light of the alarm, her family would have been among the 50 people killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK this year.

In 2019 Jaydee-Lee was recognised for her bravery and was awarded with a ‘Child of Courage Pride of Britain’ award.