Pupil's warning after serious allergic reaction

Morgan Penny was saved by school staff after suffering a life-threatening allergic reaction just before an exam

An 18-year-old pupil who suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction moments before sitting an A-level exam was saved thanks to a quick-thinking member of staff.

Morgan Penny, a student at Bristol's Cotham School, collapsed after eating a flapjack.

Having last had a severe reaction at just 18 months old, Ms Penny said she "didn't really know what was going on" when she began struggling to breathe.

Thanks to an emergency kit installed at the school, staff were able to administer an injection that reversed her symptoms within seconds. However, Ms Penny warned that many schools still lack access to these life-saving kits.

The flapjack did not include nuts in the ingredients but the label stated the snack may contain nuts.

The wall-mounted Anaphylaxis Kit installed at Cotham School includes four adrenaline pens in two dosages

Describing the moment she began to go into anaphylaxis, Ms Penny said: "My mouth started to feel really tingly, my throat started to close up.

"I was starting to see dots, I felt very lightheaded and then I started to lose consciousness. It was just terrifying."

It was as she began to black out that the school's deputy director of finance resources Ed Carpenter, who is also trained in first aid, arrived on the scene.

"I was quite concerned for her wellbeing but I immediately knew it was an anaphylactic shock and what steps we should take to assist her," he said.

The reaction to the use of the emergency adrenaline pen was "almost instant", Ms Penny said.

"It's more scary that not everywhere has these adrenaline pens," she added.

Mr Carpenter was part of the team of staff who helped administer the emergency medication

The school was only the third in the UK to install the wall-mounted Kitt Medical kit, part of a growing effort to make life-saving allergy medication more accessible in public spaces.

Developed by Zak Marks, who lives with a severe nut allergy himself, he has now been rolled out the kits to more than 700 schools around the country.

While the emergency equipment is still relatively new in schools, this incident is believed to be the 16th time it has been used to help save a life in the UK.

"I dread to think what situation we would be in if we didn't have the kit available to us that day," Mr Carpenter added.