Make Charlie The Last - bars along canal to be given water safety training
Officials from the Water Safety Partnership will visit bars near where 19-year-old Charlie Pope died last month
Bars, along the canal where a Ponteland student died last month, will get lessons in water safety later.
19-year-old Charlie Pope fell into the Rochdale canal on his way from home a night out - we’re backing his dad Nick’s campaign to Make Charlie the Last – and make waterways safer.
Nick said:
"400 people drown accidentally a year in the UK, but these are not accidents a lot of them - they're avoidable, preventable, and there's a lot we can do to reduce those numbers dramatically."
The training, which is regularly offered to waterside businesses, is being delivered by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and is supported by the Manchester Water Safety Partnership. It aims to raise awareness amongst bar and door security staff about how to recognise and support those most at risk, as well as how to help rescue people who have got into difficulty in the water.
They will learn how to help ensure their customers choose safe routes home after a night out and rescue people with a throw line if they have ended up in the water.
The Canal & River Trust, the charity which cares for 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, is supporting Drowning Prevention Week by launching its campaign #BeerBuddies – a poster campaign to encourage people to stay together on nights out. The campaign aims to promote water safety in key locations alongside and near to canals or rivers; and asks people to have fun, stay safe but above all, be responsible by sticking with your friends when on a night.
David Wilson, Station Manager at GMFRS and chair of the Manchester Water Safety Partnership, said:
"During the past four years we have rescued 25 people from rivers and canals in and around the Manchester City Centre area.
"Tragically eight of these were fatal incidents.
"We want to urge people to take care when on a night out and always be water aware for you and your friends."
The National Fire Chief Council's Drowning Prevention Week will run from 23rd April - 29th April 2018 - each year more than 300 people drown after tripping, falling or just by underestimating the risks associated with being near water.
You can sign the Make Charlie the Last petition here.