Children have delivered a petition to Downing Street calling for Benedict's Law to be implemented across the country to end the "postcode lottery" of allergy safeguards in schools. Five primary school students took placards and the letter to Whitehall in the name of Benedict Blythe, five, who died after accidental exposure to cow's milk protein at Barnack Primary School, between Stamford and Peterborough, in December 2021.
Benedict's six-year-old sister Etta and friends joined other children affected by allergies to stand in front of No 10 and knocked on the door to hand over the petition signed by more than 13,000 people. The campaign follows last month's jury inquest into Benedict's death at Peterborough Town Hall, which found that the school did not follow all the measures in place to prevent the fatal anaphylactic reaction.
Children lead campaign for change
Benedict's mother, Helen Blythe, 38, said: "I think it's important that today it's the children that are bringing this to Downing Street. It's their lives that we're talking about and it feels like a really proud moment that we can bring them here and give them the opportunity to have their voices heard."
The campaign, which started almost three years ago, calls for greater safeguards and protection for children with allergies. Benedict's Law specifically demands an allergy policy in every school, allergy training for all school staff and spare allergy pens in every school.
Fatal mistakes at school
Benedict had asthma and a number of allergies, including eggs, nuts, kiwi fruit and milk. His parents had worked with the school to put together an allergy action plan in case of a reaction, with the school responsible for storing oat milk in the staff fridge and pouring it into Benedict's cup in the classroom before handing it directly to him.
However, the jury inquest found that on the day of his death, that process was not followed because his milk had been poured in the staff room rather than the classroom. The inquest also found there were risks of contamination and delays in administering an adrenalin pen.
Inquest findings strengthen case
Mrs Blythe said: "A month ago we had my son's inquest where the findings showed that had the measures that we're calling for now been in place, he almost certainly would have survived. So I think that's a big change in terms of what we've learned through this process and a real reason why the Government should implement these measures."
She described Benedict as "incredibly bright" and "curious" as well as "incredibly kind". Mrs Blythe said: "So one of the things that we see in terms of the legacy is how fitting it would be to have legislation that protects other children, because he really looked out for others."
Daily stories of school reactions
Mrs Blythe says she has been in touch with children and families who have different experiences relating to their allergies, including both positive testimonies and "heartbreaking" incidents. She said: "We hear stories every day about children who are experiencing all types of reactions at school, of teachers who are left without support or any training, and it's heartbreaking to hear all of these coming through to us."
Whilst some schools have "really good initiatives" that keep children with allergies safe, Mrs Blythe emphasised there "shouldn't be a postcode lottery". The reception has been encouraging recently, with the family meeting the Department of Education twice in recent weeks, suggesting "a bit of a change in terms of their appetite for making this legislation happen".
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
