
Boy, 5, 'died after allergic reaction' as mum says 'world should've been safer'
A 'kind-souled' five-year-old boy died after an allergic reaction caused him to collapse at school, an inquest heard. Benedict Blythe was in his first year at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, when the tragedy happened.
A jury at Peterborough Town Hall heard he died in hospital in December 2021 after vomiting during classes. The cause of death for Benedict, who was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts, was recorded as food-induced anaphylaxis. His mum Helen Blythe paid tribute to the youngster, who also had asthma, on the opening day of the inquest. She said: 'Benedict was not just a child with allergies, he was a whole universe - curious, funny, kind and loving - and the world should have been safer for him."
Mrs Blythe revealed he had joined Mensa when he was just four. Coroner Elizabeth Gray told jurors Benedict was kept home from school on November 30 because he was unwell. He had vomited the previous night but went to school as normal on December 1.
The coroner said Benedict ate a biscuit during that school day which he had brought from home. He was then offered oat milk by a class teacher, but he refused to drink it. The inquest was told he vomited twice before collapsing when he was taken outside for fresh air. An adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) was administered by a first aid-trained teaching assistant and CPR was attempted.
Tragic Benedict was rushed to Peterborough City Hospital but died later that day. His mum Helen told the jury that vomiting was "always" the first symptom of his allergic reactions. But she added: 'How it played out after that varied.'
Mrs Blythe told the inquest the school was given a management plan about his allergic reactions. In a witness statement read to the inquest she said he was "well-aware" of his allergic reactions. She added: "I believe he had an allergic reaction and this is what caused his death."
A video was shown of Benedict opening his advent calendar before school with his younger sister on the day he died. In her tribute, Mrs Blythe said: 'His superpower was his kind heart, and it's that kindness that is so missing from our lives. The first return to a new school year after his death, children said 'I wish Benedict was here - he'd stop me feeling nervous'.
"Aside from the joy Benedict had in his life, he had to develop his own quiet kind of bravery. He lived with allergies and chronic asthma. Sometimes that meant missing out - on parties, on snacks other children could eat, on ice creams from the ice cream van - but he never let it define him.
"The day Benedict died, our world broke but what's even more unbearable is the knowledge that we weren't alone.'
The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in his memory. It helped launch the schools allergy code to protect children with allergies and set out how schools can keep pupils safe.
The inquest, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.

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Sky News
11-07-2025
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The mother of a five-year-old boy who died after he was accidentally exposed to the wrong milk at school is calling for a new law to keep other children with allergies safe. Benedict Blythe, a reception pupil at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, suffered fatal anaphylaxis after he was accidentally exposed to cow's milk protein, probably from his own cup during break time. An inquest into his death found the school's delay in giving him his EpiPen, a failure to share his allergy plan, and a failure to learn from a previous allergic reaction, all likely contributed to his death. Benedict died in December 2021, and the family have now waited more than three years for answers, with the inquest concluding this week. He had a number of allergies, including cow's milk protein, eggs, nuts and kiwi fruit. Benedict, who joined the high-IQ society Mensa at the age of four, loved school, his mother Helen told Sky News. "He was ferociously intelligent," she said. 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Times
10-07-2025
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