WELSH families who have lost loved ones to drowning have united to launch the first Welsh Drowning Prevention Strategy.
The strategy launched by Lesley Griffiths MS, Welsh Government Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, has been drawn up by Water Safety Wales, a collaboration of individuals, communities, charities and public and private sector organisations with an interest in water safety and drowning prevention.
It aims to reduce water related deaths and incidents in Wales by promoting the importance of a consistent and effective approach to water safety.
Lesley Griffiths said: “Our coastal and inland waters are a jewel in the Welsh crown enjoyed by millions of people each year. Sadly too many people are losing their lives to water related fatalities. We support Water Safety Wales’ belief these deaths are preventable.
“The launch of this strategy is an opportunity to acknowledge the problem of drowning to do what we can to prevent it in the future.”
There are around 600 water related fatalities in the UK every year and in Wales there are an average of 45 at coastal and inland waters. Almost six in 10 of people who died as a result of an accident in the water did not intend to enter the water at all.
Families across Wales backing the strategy include Debbie Turnbull, originally from Rhos-on-Sea, who tragically lost her 15-year-old son Chris after he drowned in a river at Capel Curig in 2006. Since then Debbie has educated hundreds of thousands of young people through her River and Sea Sense charity.
Debbie said: “My work in water safety keeps my son’s memory alive. In 2021, Chris will have been gone for 15 years, as long as his lifetime.
“Water related deaths are preventable. The more people who are educated about water safety, the more safety equipment we have in the right places and the more people we have who can pass on water safety messages in the right way, the more lives we will save.”
Statistics from the Water Incident Database show the rate of accidental drowning in Wales is almost double that of the UK as a whole, figures show on average there are 1,755 water incidents per year that require emergency response, approximately five every day.
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