In the dark on signs of deadly gas
ONE in five UK homes contains an unsafe gas appliance.
The potential danger of cookers, fires and boilers in our homes was highlighted by Gas Safety Week.
For 75% of Brits who check in on an elderly or disabled loved one, making sure they are safe was a key reason.
Yet nine in 10 cannot spot a crucial sign that a gas appliance is unsafe.
Over half do not know that a lazy yellow flame on appliances such as cookers is a warning sign and only 24% knew increased condensation inside windows is a red flag.
There is confusion around the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning too.
Almost half of respondents didn’t know that breathlessness is a warning and 38% were unaware that nausea can be a sign of poisoning.
And another 32% were unaware that headaches can mean an appliance is emitting lethal fumes. A MUM fell head over heels in love with her Mount Kilimajaro guide at 19,000ft.
Danielle Kiuyo, 34, hit rock bottom when she divorced the father of her two children – now aged six and four – after five years of marriage.
She joined her dad Steve Austin on a trek up the Tanzanian volcano to regain her confidence.
But while she was expecting the challenge of a lifetime, she didn’t count on finding love with trip guide Alphar, 27. Now, one year on, they are man and wife.
Danielle said: “I never expected to find a husband at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, but I’ve never been happier.
“We met on day one and I looked at Alphar and I thought, ‘Oh my god, he’s so fit. Swoon.’ I was pleased when I found out he didn’t have a girlfriend because it was love at first sight.”
The Kilimanjaro trek took place last September. Danielle said: “I felt anxious as I knew it would be no easy feat. But it was something where I could prove to myself and everyone that I was invincible.”
Alphar made the trek a lot easier. Accountant Danielle, of Northampton, added: “He helped me down from the summit, linking arms.
“I felt like we were always looking at each other, but I thought the final goodbye – when we all added each other on Facebook – would be the last I’d ever see of him.”
Back at her hotel in Zanzibar, she sent Alphar a message and was thrilled when he replied.
She said: “I remember being constantly excited to see what he had messaged. When we flew from Zanzibar to Nairobi, Alphar said, ‘No, don’t go home. Can’t you come back here?’
“Then I knew it was something more and I started planning my next trip.”
She flew out in secret to join him for New Year’s Eve. And then on her third visit to Tanzania, they tied the knot.
Danielle said: “We went to the commissioner’s office on the Monday to ask if we could get married and returned on the Friday with 12 guests. “I knew it was what I wanted. Alphar is so good, so kind – he’s my hero.”
But not everyone at home was thrilled at the news. She added: “My dad was shocked. He didn’t speak to me for three days. And I have a friend, who I don’t speak to any more.
“But after my failed marriage I just thought, ‘Take a chance. If it works, then great. And if it doesn’t, then what the hell?’”