Triple Olympic gold medallist swimmer Tom Dean has promised to roll out a drowning prevention campaign and offer free swimming lessons after a 12th person was pulled dead from open water last night. The former Strictly Come Dancing star aims to educate young people on the dangers of open water following a tragic week in which three more teenage boys lost their lives while outdoor swimming amid scorching temperatures across Britain.
Rising Death Toll Prompts Action
The tragedies come after damning new statistics revealed that a quarter of UK parents have never spoken to their children about water safety. Olympian Tom Dean says this week's horrendous losses strengthen his belief that not enough is being done to keep people out of danger. He will put on free or discounted swimming sessions for 13–17-year-olds to encourage safer alternatives to open water swimming.
Dean, a double gold winner in Tokyo in 2021 before clinching a third in Paris in 2024, was shocked to learn that around 400 people lose their lives to drowning every year, with the majority happening during the warmer months.
Dean's Personal Commitment
“Following the recent events, my thoughts are with all of the families and friends affected,” the 26-year-old told The Mirror. “Incidents like these continue to show just how vital campaigning around Drowning Prevention Week, which takes place from June 13, and water safety really is. Swimming is one of the very few sports that can save your life. That is why I am such a strong advocate for the crucial water safety messages that surround it.”
He added: “Swimming and water safety are life skills that every young person should have access to. Through this campaign, we want to reach as many people as possible with clear, simple messaging. It could genuinely help save lives.”
Campaign Details and Focus Areas
The campaign will deliver important water safety education and messaging to schools, colleges, leisure centres and local communities. For now, the key areas of focus are Hull, York, Warrington, Windsor and Maidenhead, but Dean hopes further areas will be added later this year as the message gets louder.
Safety experts have issued blunt warnings to teachers and their bosses as children flock to rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the sea to cool off during a sweltering half-term. Mark Camp-Overy, CEO of Leisure Focus and Tom Dean Swim School, added: “By working with schools, colleges, leisure operators and national organisations, we can help spread this important message to more young people across the UK. The campaign’s key message this summer is: 'Don’t become a memory'.”
Recent Tragedies Across the UK
The campaign comes after a harrowing week for families across Britain. A 16-year-old boy was pulled from the water at Bracklinn Falls near Callander, Scotland last night, marking the UK and Ireland's 12th water-related death during the recent heatwave. Today, hundreds of mourners packed into the Church of The Holy Spirit in Ballymun in north Dublin to say goodbye to Abbie Carmody-Pepper after tragedy struck last Sunday.
The body of a boy, also 15, was recovered from a pond in Swanscombe, Kent, and a 14-year-old boy died in the River Thames in Oxford on Wednesday. In Kent on the same day, emergency services were called to an incident involving “concern for a person in water” in Swanscombe, Dartford. A young boy's body was sadly recovered at the scene.
On Sunday, Declan Sawyer died after getting into trouble at Swanholme Lakes, Lincoln. Reco Puttock, 13, died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Monday, while the body of a teenage girl was recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire.
On the same day, Phil Crow, 68, died of cardiac arrest after entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members who were in difficulty, Devon and Cornwall Police said. The body of a teenager was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, South Yorks, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Another body was found in the search for a teenage boy who went missing after he was last seen swimming at Hawley Lake on the Hampshire/Surrey border on Tuesday afternoon.
A 12-year-old boy who died after getting into trouble in the River Ribble at Ribchester, Lancashire, on Tuesday was named as Junior Slater from Clayton-le-Woods. On Wednesday, Cheshire Police said the body of a 17-year-old boy had been found after he went missing in Pickmere Lake at Marston, Northwich.
Charity Calls for Water Safety Conversations
Today, charity Martin House Children’s Hospice is appealing to families to have water safety conversations ahead of the summer holidays. Vicki Greensmith, director of clinical services at Martin House, said: “Sadly every year in the UK, people lose their lives in the water, and at Martin House we have supported too many families whose child has drowned.
“A quarter of UK parents have never spoken to their children about water safety. We’re encouraging parents to have these conversations about the dangers of open water and making people aware of the resources and advice available. We don’t want any more families to experience their child drowning in a preventable accident. We all understand the temptation of swimming in open water on a hot day to cool off, but there needs to be more awareness of the dangers involved.”
