People across Lancashire urged to stay safe near open water
Chorley mum, Beckie Ramsay lost her son Dylan when he was just 13
With schools out for summer and more people flocking to the UK’s rivers, lakes and coast, the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) is appealing to everyone to ‘Call, Tell, Throw’ if they encounter a water-base emergency situation.
Last year, 226 people accidentally drowned in the UK. Almost half (46%) of all UK accidental drownings last year took place in the summer months of June, July and August.
To prevent tragedies happening this summer, the National Water Safety Forum are hosting safety demonstrations across the country, which can be filmed at.
Beckie Ramsay from Chorley lost her son Dylan back in 2011 when he was just 13 years old. He went swimming in the disused Hill Top quarry with friends and never came home.
Beckie started campaigning to get water safety taught in schools across the UK as part of her Doing it for Dylan initiative.
Beckie says:
"Every time I hear about someone losing their lives in open water, it brings it all back and that was obviously the worst day of my life. It's heart-breaking to know more families are starting on this journey that we're on.
"The main point for me is getting water safety taught on the national curriculum. Just the basics, it's good telling people to 'float to live' but we need to tell them how to float!
"I'd like for rip-currents to be more widely talked about. People will be heading to the beach over the Summer and won't know what they are or how to read the beach flags."
This drowning prevention Day, landmarks across the UK are lighting up blue.