Campaign brings together bereaved families, including Harrogate dad, for vital water safety message
The Get Water Wise Minute will be broadcast on Greatest Hits Radio Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales and other UK radio stations
Last updated 27th Aug 2021
Bauer Media's Radio Stations, including Greatest Hits Radio Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales, are joining up across the UK to help deliver a powerful water-safety message.
The #GetWaterWise campaign was launched ahead of the school summer holidays after warnings this summer could be one of the worst on record for accidental drownings.
Journalists joined forces with the Royal Life Saving Society and other water safety groups to help raise awareness and spread vital life-saving advice. In July alone there was a shocking number of tragedies with the RLSS recording at least 45 deaths related to accidental drowning over a 12 day period.
Now, ahead of the Bank Holiday Weekend in England and Wales, Bauer Media is bringing its network of radio stations together to broadcast a 'Get Water Wise Minute', featuring the voices of families who have lost loved ones swimming in open water, including those in Sussex.
Billy Raynard-Bowness from Harrogate lost his son, Alex, 13 years ago after he fell into the lido at Knaresborough. He said:
"I remember thinking 'oh my god my life is never going to be the same again'.
"His life just ended in a flash and you would never think that would happen but it did. If it can happen to Alex at 19-years-old, it can happen to absolutely anyone.
"He was full of health and happiness and within nine hours of me picking him up, he was dead. Nobody things in a morning when they wake up in a morning their lives will utterly change forever and ours did.
"This summer will forever be burned into the minds of those people who have lost loved ones and they'll be filled with 'what ifs'. They last a lifetime and I'm still 'what if-ing'.
Tony Peel, fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue based at Skipton, regularly attends water incidents. He was at the scene when an 18-year-old boy lost his life at Linton Falls in the Yorkshire Dales last year. He said:
"A young 18-year-old lost his life. It's not a pleasant sight seeing someone in difficulty in the water. They are very traumatic for firefighters and there is a lot of pressure from bankside if their friends and family are watching the rescue happen.
"Every second counts in these situations and we have strict protocols about what waters fire fighters can go into. Sometimes you try your best and it just isn't good enough and people do drown."
Lee Heard from the Royal Life Saving Society said:
"Over a tragic 12 day period in July during the heatwave, we know that over 45 people sadly lost their lives to accidental drowning.
"Drowning is devasting. It's unexpected and it is preventable. It leaves a huge scar on those who are left behind to deal with the pain and grief of losing a loved one. That's why it's a testament to some of the brave families that have the courage to come forward and use their pain and grief to try and educate other people, so we don't see more lives lost to accidental drowning.
He went on to say:
"There is no doubt that the #GetWaterWise campaign run by Bauer Media throughout the summer, in collaboration with the RLSS, has saved lives."
You can hear the #GetWaterWiseMinute on Bauer Media's Hits and Greatest Hits network in the news bulletins at 12pm and 6pm, Friday 27th August.