Safer Tourism Foundation hails sale of CO alarms at airports

The Safer Tourism Foundation has hailed the launch of lifesaving travel-friendly carbon monoxide alarms at UK airports.

The Pack Safe Appeal – which has worked with the foundation – has partnered with retailer WHSmith to bring portable carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to the millions of passengers who travel through UK airports every week.

Available across the UK in 29 InMotion stores – WHSmith’s premium airport electricals brand – this is the first time portable CO alarms have been available in retail stores.

The Safer Tourism Foundation said the move marks “a major milestone” in a campaign led by the family of 24-year-old Hudson Foley, who died from CO poisoning on August 30, 2023, while in a homestay in Ecuador.

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In 2015, a coroner’s report following the deaths of British children Bobby and Christi Shepherd who passed away from CO poisoning while on holiday in Corfu warned that more lives would be lost unless CO alarms were made more readily available to travellers.

On the first anniversary of Hudson Foley’s passing, in August 2024, his family launched the Pack Safe Appeal in his honour, in collaboration with the Safer Tourism Foundation.

The foundation had been established in 2016 by Bobby and Christi Shepherd’s mother Sharon Wood, with Thomas Cook providing initial funding, to raise awareness of CO risks while travelling and campaign for change.

Their campaign gained national attention after an appearance on BBC Breakfast on July 31, 2024, leading to more than 2,000 portable CO alarms sold in the first month.

Cathy Foley, mother of Hudson Foley and founder of the Pack Safe Appeal, said: “When Hudson died, we knew we had to do everything in our power to make sure no other family suffered this kind of loss.

“Seeing portable CO alarms in airports – right where travellers can pick one up before boarding a plane – is a huge milestone for us and an incredible step in our efforts to save lives.”

Katherine Atkinson, chief executive of the Safer Tourism Foundation, added: “This partnership shows how awareness raising campaigns can lead to real-world change that saves lives. We encourage all travellers to consider taking their own CO alarm when they go away.”

The alarms will be stocked in 29 InMotion stores, from Heathrow to Edinburgh airports, and retail at £25.  

The news follows the spring 2025 update to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice, which now warns about the dangers of carbon monoxide while travelling – an update prompted by the campaign led by Surrey Heath MP Dr Al Pinkerton and Cathy Foley.

Dr Al Pinkerton MP said: “The FCDO’s updated travel guidance was an important step, but awareness alone is not enough. Having portable CO alarms readily available in airports will help prevent more tragic deaths from this silent killer.”