HUNDREDS of Swansea school children will feel safer around the seaside and other water attractions this summer thanks to an initiative staged by the council.
School summer holidays have started and in the countdown to the big getaway the council’s water safety team joined forces with Wales National Pool Swansea and Royal Life Saving Society to ensure more than 1,500 children got practical lessons on staying safe in or near water.
Drowning is the third-highest cause of accidental death of children in the UK and while the summer holidays are a great opportunity for young people to get out and explore, being aware of the risks of deep water and the seaside will help keep them safe.
Mark Child, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Healthy City, said: “It’s incredibly sad to read in the media from time to time about accidents in which children – or those attempting to rescue them – have died because of an incident in the water.
“That’s why the council’s water safety team worked closely with the RLSS and Wales National Pool Swansea to teach more than 1,530 children from 55 city primary schools about safety in the sea and other places where there is a lot of water.
“In hot weather it’s very tempting to cool off in the sea or in reservoirs or rivers. But children need to understand that the safest places to play are where lifeguards are on duty such as at our four Blue Flag Beaches. Reservoirs are never a safe place to swim.”
Pupils participating in the Drowning Prevention Week initiative had water safety training, learned the Water Safety code and participated in various fun activities, including Shout and Signal Rescue, Rope Rescue, Reach and Throw Rescue, Help and Huddle.
The council’s water safety team also ran a series of lifeguard training courses which resulted in 24 new lifeguards, aged between 16 and 59 gaining recognised water safety accreditation.
To find out more about water safety, call the council’s water safety team on 01792 635162, email or visit http://www.swansea.gov.uk/watersafety
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