Andy Burnham has paid tribute to families who lost loved ones to drowning, vowing to do more to prevent avoidable tragedies. His pledge follows a heartfelt plea from bereaved parents Vanessa Abbess and Simon Haycock, who both lost teenage sons, urging the government to deliver on The Mirror's Save Lives for Sam Campaign.
Simon, whose son Sam was just 16 when he drowned in Ulley Reservoir in Rotherham in 2021, said adopting the changes would mean he could finally sleep better at night knowing he had made a difference. Vanessa, mum of 17-year-old Joe, who died in May 2023 at Bournemouth beach, said her son would want her to tell his story to save lives.
Burnham's tribute and commitment
Mr Burnham told The Mirror: "No parent should ever have to go through what Vanessa and Simon have been through. My thoughts are with them, and with every family who has lost someone they love to drowning."
"I want to thank them, and the Mirror, for turning their grief into a campaign that will help keep other people's children safe. There is more we can do to prevent these avoidable tragedies, and we will keep working with the National Water Safety Forum on its new Drowning Prevention Strategy to make that happen."
He added: "In the meantime, I'd urge everyone to remember how dangerous open water can be, and the real risk of cold water shock, even for strong swimmers."
Families deliver letter to No 10
The strategy was launched in July, with greater commitments to education and awareness, but campaigners say the government must go further. On Tuesday, Vanessa and Simon handed in a letter signed by 18 bereaved families who lost loved ones to drownings, holding aloft pages from The Mirror with pictures of young people whose lives were lost in the national epidemic.
Vanessa said: "It would mean the absolute world if the government acts. Joe's story should never have been one of loss and sadness. It should have been of opportunity. He had such high hopes of the world, he was ambitious and brave and excited for the future."
"But that was snatched away. But if his story has a life-saving legacy, that's something. It's still somewhere special for him to be in the world." Joe was swimming in a safe zone when a rip current swept him off his feet and dragged him out to sea. Another swimmer, 12-year-old Sunnah Khan, died the same day.
Campaign demands and statistics
The Mirror launched the Save Lives for Sam campaign after a horrifying spate of drownings in May, in a bid to stop what has been called a national epidemic. At least 19 people lost their lives in open water during the heatwave that month, including 13 children. The Royal Life Saving Society warns that 90% of accidental drownings in the last five years have taken place in open water.
It is estimated that more than 30 children drown each year in open water, and if hotter temperatures become the norm, experts fear the number could climb higher. The campaign demands an urgent public awareness campaign with lifesaving advice, targeting parents and children on social media. It also calls for water companies and those in charge of large water bodies to bring in safety equipment, compulsory lessons in schools to teach survival techniques, appointing a Minister for Water Safety, and legal requirements to install safety equipment.
Simon, whose son's death inspired the campaign, told The Mirror: "The numbers are scary. And it's almost as if it's just going under the radar."
"It isn't going under the radar for all these families. It is absolutely devastating, but the saddest thing of all that it is very, very preventable. And by getting these measures put in place, specifically the water safety minister, that can go a long way to save a lot of people's lives."
Impact and calls for action
Asked how much it would mean to him to see the campaign goals adopted, he said: "It'd be really, really massive. I set out on this journey not knowing what we were doing, but to have that acknowledgment and to get this over the line would be absolutely massive and it'll allow me to sleep better at night, knowing we've done everything we possibly can to prevent any more of these tragedies."
The letter to the PM said: "These tragedies continue happening all too frequently, and we fear that longer, hotter summers will place even more people at risk around our waters in future." It continued: "We are grateful for your support for the Mirror's Save Lives for Sam campaign, and for your recent recognition of the urgent need to improve water safety. Your words have given us hope but they must now be followed by action."
Vanessa's constituency MP, Darren Paffey, told The Mirror: "I pay the greatest respect to Vanessa in that she has turned utter tragedy into something which could change that outcome for so many more people in this country." Ross Macleod, water safety manager at the RNLI, told The Mirror: "We are full of admiration and support for the families who have shown such bravery in channelling their experiences of personal tragedy into positive action to help save more lives from drowning. We thank them and wish them well – their courage and determination will no doubt help to prevent further tragedies."
Pete Kennedy, head of policy and public affairs at the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), said: "This open letter reminds us all why it is so important to prevent drowning and enable everyone to enjoy water safely. We echo the families' demands to the Prime Minister. The PM should meet urgently with the families and charities working on water safety. He should appoint a Minister responsible for water safety to turn words into policy and action. Drownings are preventable and the government must act now."
