#GetWaterWise: West Mercia PCC puts £40k into water safety education
We've been speaking to John Campion as part of our #GetWaterWise campaign
The West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner has invested more money into water safety education across the region.
£40,000 has been put into John Campion's Home and Dry campaign to educate young people about the dangers of entering unsafe water.
A dedicated Water Safety Manager will work closely with the PCC and to develop engaging and relevant resources for young people.
More than 450 people died across England from drowning in 2020 and it's hoped the campaign will prevent more from happening.
The pilot will hopefully be delivered across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and will also help shape education nationally.
Extensive work has already been carried out to fully understand the issue which has helped the shape the campaigns for key areas: education, night time economy, mental health and physical prevention.
Commissioner John Campion said “We need to reduce the devastating impact of water deaths.
"Education is such a key part of this, and by investing to focus here, we can develop something which has a significant impact on changing behaviours at a very young age, and help to prevent some of the tragic incidents which have had deep impact on our communities and on our emergency services.
Over the last few years, I have continued to drive the Home and Dry campaign, with fantastic support from a network of more than 20 organisations. This will ensure the campaign continues to progress and evolve.”
RLSS UK Water Safety Education Manager Andy Lane will bring a wealth of experience in education and after being recruited into the role.
Andy said: "I am excited to be part of this campaign, helping to develop a greater understanding of the dangers to prevent future tragedies, and ensure everyone can enjoy water safely.
Building on the current work and the existing Home and Dry package, I will build connections with national and local networks, test different approaches, use statistics and incident data to create a more detailed profile of the problem.
"This will help shape a package which is effective, and can be rolled out widely to benefit as many people as possible."
Follow this advice, and stay safe around water
During hot summer days, lakes, rivers, reservoirs and the sea can look really tempting.
But beneath the surface can lie hidden dangers, cold temperatures an unexpected currents.
The Royal Life Saving Society has this advice to stay safe.
Look out for lifeguards
If you're looking for a place to cool off always find a lifeguarded swimming site.
It’s colder than it looks
Water at open water and inland sites is often much colder than it looks, cold water can affect your ability to swim and self-rescue.
Don’t go too far
Always swim parallel to the shore, that way you're never too far away from it.
It's stronger than it looks
Currents in the water can be very strong. If you find yourself caught in a riptide – don't swim against it – you'll tire yourself out. Swim with the current and call for help.
Bring a friend
Always bring a friend when you go swimming so if anything goes wrong you've got someone there to help.