Parents of children who died in Corfu to work with Thomas Cook to highlight dangers of gas
The parents of two children who died of carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Corfu are to work with Thomas Cook on a new initiative highlighting the dangers of the gas.
Bobby and Christi Shepherd, aged six and seven, died at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel on the Greek holiday island in 2006 when they were overcome by fumes from a faulty boiler.
An inquest in May ruled that the children had been unlawfully killed and concluded that travel firm Thomas Cook breached its duty of care to the family.
The company has now confirmed that following conversations with the children's parents - Neil Shepherd and Sharon Wood - it has committed to raise an initial £1 million to create a new initiative to promote awareness through research, awareness campaigns, and the promotion of legislation.
It also hopes to highlight other drives within the tourism industry, aimed at reducing the risks associated with carbon monoxide.
Speaking about the move to Channel 5 News, Ms Wood said: "My children lost their lives to carbon monoxide and a very public case highlighted their deaths, yet there are still hundreds of British CO victims every year. There is so much more that can be done to stop this 'silent killer'."
"I'm incredibly proud actually that Thomas Cook have realised the mistakes they have made and there is something positive that they can do in light of Christi and Bobby's deaths," she said. "They're an industry leader and I really do hope that we can forge a good alliance and move things forward.
The partnership is in stark contrast to previous dealings between Ms Wood and Thomas Cook.
She recently told GMB how Thomas Cook had "contributed" to the "absolutely horrendous" pain her family had endurde.
It is "just the lack of human decency that any company should offer to their customers", she said in May.
Ms Wood told the programme how she had refused to shake Thomas Group chief executive Peter Fankhauser's hand at a "very intense" meeting just days after he told the inquest that his company had "nothing to apologise for".
However, it appears that a better relationship has been forged as Ms Wood added.
"The actual cost of a holiday - a holiday means far more to a family than the actual cost of it," she said
"You need to know that your family is safe when you go away and for the travel industry to prosper then they will have to make some serious changes and put into initiatives such as this that Thomas Cook are committed to to see change in the future."
The travel firm said the "health, safety and welfare" of its customers was its priority, and that it would work to fund research into protection from carbon monoxide, limit the risks associated with the gas, and raise general awareness of the related dangers.
It also announced that Mrs Wood and Mr Shepherd would be taking an active role in promoting its objectives.