The appointment comes with a number of changes recently made by the charity, formerly known as the Gas Safety Trust. The repositioning of the CO Research Trust highlights the breadth of work undertaken by the charity to understand and prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from different fuels through the funding of scientific research.

Mr Allen said: “I’m very pleased to be supporting the CO Research Trust team, the other trustees and our chair, Baroness Finlay, in the mission to eliminate the risk of CO poisoning. HETAS and Woodsure are committed to helping people make cleaner and safer choices in the use of biomass and other solid fuels and associated technologies. Our knowledge and expertise in safe, efficient and environmentally-responsible burning in domestic and commercial sectors will help to inform areas of research led by the charity.”

Adrian McConnell, head of charitable operations at the CO Research Trust said: “We are delighted that Bruce has joined us as a trustee. He brings many years of expert knowledge and experience from the biomass and solid fuels sector. There are currently no requirements to report CO incidents involving solid fuel appliances, and so the level of risk from CO exposure is still unclear. Therefore projects that focus on identifying the level of CO risk within this area will be one of a number of key priorities for the Trust going forward. Bruce’s determination to drive forward change and improve safety will no doubt be a huge asset to the Trust.'