RNLI issues reminder on staying safe around the sea on Yorkshire Coast
They have released new figures on World Drowning Prevention Day
The RNLI is today reminding families of the importance of staying safe around the coast as school children across the UK enjoy the start of their summer holidays.
New figures released On World Drowning Prevention Day by the charity show their lifeguards attended more than 10,000 incidents on beaches aiding 13,758 people from 25th July to 2nd September last year.
Donna Loveland is from Scarborough and has shared the story about her brother, Andrew McGeown:
"In February 2015, Andrew was walking his dog on the South Bay at Scarborough and his dog entered the sea and then because of the weather was so rough, he then entered the sea to rescue him but the dog got out and Andrew didn't. It was really traumatic for our family what actually did happen. It was a very sad way to lose a young member of your family.
"It was a massive rescue that evening. The weather was really, really bad and I remember getting a phone call from my parents and obviously they were very, very stressed. I just rushed to get to my parents house as quick as I could and then at that point we obviously didn't know what happened to Andrew.
"Where his incident happened, it was actually not on the direct beach where he went in, there is a pathway and because of the weather conditions, it had washed the sand away from underneath what normally would be a low down wall, so obviously it was a lot of deeper than what he had expected and the weather conditions were treacherous.
"Nine times out of 10, the dog will get out. If a dog does get into trouble, you can call the Coastguard. Usually it's the people that are jumping in when they're sort of walking on the path or a wall that's near to the sea and then that's when these incidents happen and then obviously the person who jumps in gets cold water shock but the dog gets out.
"We actively started raising funds in Andrew's memory and the first thing that we ever did is we helped to pay for signs that go along the South Bay because what came out of Andrew's rescue is that who actually phones for help, people don't know who to ask for and there are no life rings."
Donna is part of the Swim Safe team in Scarborough, where children and teenagers can learn water safety for free.
The sessions start next month and you can find out more and book on the Swim Safe website.
Today (July 25th) marks the third World Drowning Prevention Day and the RNLI is reminding people how to stay safe while enjoying the beach.
The key summer safety advice to remember is:
• Visit a lifeguarded beach & swim between the red and yellow flags
• If you get into trouble Float to Live; tilt your head back with ears submerged and try to relax and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat and then call for help or swim to safety if you can.
• Call 999 in an emergency and ask for the Coastguard
Gareth Morrison, head of water safety at the RNLI, said: "Now the weather is warming up we expect to see a big increase in visitors to UK coastlines and unfortunately this does mean there is likely to be an increase in the number of incidents in the sea.
"Many of the incidents our lifeguards attend during the school holidays involve children and teenagers and we would urge everyone to be aware of the risks and know what to do in an emergency.
"Our main advice is to visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags. RNLI lifeguards will be patrolling around 245 beaches this summer to offer advice on how to stay safe and they are also there to help anyone who gets into trouble.
"We want people to think about their own safety, take time to familiarise yourself with our advice and to share this with your friends and family."
There were 226 deaths in the UK from accidental drownings in 2022, across inland and coastal locations. 41 of these were in July and 44 in August – more than twice the number than in any other month. Of the people who died 40 per cent had no intention of entering the water.*
World Drowning Prevention Day was established in 2021, following the adoption of a first-ever United Nations (UN) resolution on global drowning prevention.