Water safety education is vital as the weather warms up, especially amongst young people - Claire Gauci

Every summer, we unfortunately hear awful news about people jumping into canals, rivers and other waterways and never resurfacing. We’ve already heard this summer the terribly sad news about the deaths of two young men at a beauty spot in East Yorkshire, and tragically 16-year-old Tyler Wilson lost his life when he got into trouble in the River Calder near Castleford in West Yorkshire.

The sobering data released recently by the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF), of which the Trust is a member, shows there were 597 water-related fatalities in the UK in 2022.

Of those, 226 (38 per cent) were accidental drownings; 60 per cent of accidental water-related deaths happened at inland waters such as canals, rivers, lakes, quarries and reservoirs; 83 per cent of accidental deaths were male, and recreational activities accounted for 58 per cent of accidental deaths. These devastating numbers are a terrible reminder about the importance of raising awareness and educating people about water safety, drowning prevention and the dangers of venturing into the water.

At Canal & River Trust, water safety is everyone’s everyday concern, and from our chief executive and volunteers to operations colleagues and campaign managers, we’re all water safety aware - and we work hard to ensure we educate and inform the youngest to the oldest visitors to our waterways about this vitally important topic.

This winter, our charity launched its first ever toddler water safety campaign; the free activities and resources we created for the under-fives – which can be used by parents or in nurseries - can be found on our website.

Our ‘Explorers’ water safety programme, which focuses on Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, helps children learn about and enjoy their local canal or river safely. Dozens of volunteers help the Trust each year by visiting schools and speaking to youth groups, including Cub Scouts and Brownies, about their local canal or river.

Teenagers, especially, are the people who will ignore water safety in favour of dips with friends, and we’re urging them to consider the dangers of jumping into open water. On a hot day, it may seem like a great idea; but there are too many risks.

Docks, reservoirs, canals and rivers will be really cold, even in the summer, and sudden exposure to such temperatures can cause cold water shock. One reaction is to gasp and take in water, which can cause drowning. Canals can be shallow and jumping from a bridge could cause serious injury, while locks are a lot deeper than expected. There are hidden dangers under the water, such as reeds and items which someone may have dumped. And whilst they are rare, waterborne diseases can be dangerous. Our advice is visit a pool or find an open water swimming club. If you’re a parent of a teenager and you want to talk to them about water safety, there’s tips on our website and videos available.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK, also a member of the NWSF, launches its annual #DrowningPreventionWeek campaign from June 17-24, raising awareness, and educating people about vital life saving knowledge that will keep them and their families safe in, on and around water.

In West Yorkshire, the number of fatalities due to drowning has increased, tragically six people lost their lives in 2022. To proactively raise awareness of water safety, a partnership led by Wakefield Council, alongside Canal & River Trust, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and Wakefield Safeguarding Children Partnership, has produced a water safety campaign, Be Water Wise. Key to the campaign is a hard-hitting video which is being made available to schools and colleges nationwide for use as part of their water safety education. It's through educating people about water safety that we can all make a difference, whether you’re a parent, teacher, friend or family. If there’s one key message to take away it’s this: respect the water - keep out of it, and if you see someone in trouble, keep calm, stay on land, and follow the three-step rescue guide: call 999, tell the struggling person to try to float on their back and throw them something that floats.

Claire Gauci is campaigns and programme manager for public safety at the Canal & River Trust.