Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington has issued a vital warning to parents: never buy children blue swimwear. Following a devastating week that saw 19 people across the UK tragically drown, the swimming champion has shared crucial water safety advice. Rebecca has joined forces with The Mirror’s Save Lives for Sam campaign to help stop the 'catastrophic' deaths of the 33 children who drown in England every year.
While Rebecca believes swimming should be treated with the same academic importance as reading and writing, she insists that protecting children starts with what they wear in the water. Blue or light-coloured fabric camouflages perfectly with the bottom of a pool or ocean, making a struggling child incredibly difficult to spot. She urges parents to buy high-visibility swimwear in bright shades like neon orange or red, which instantly stand out underwater.
She said: 'You will not see your child at the bottom of the pool if they're wearing something white, pastel colours, baby blue, or grey. Bright red is brilliant. It might not be your child's favourite colour but you need to see them at the bottom of the pool.'
Rebecca, 37, spoke to the Mirror at her Leeds branch of her company Swim!, which she founded with fellow Olympian Steve Parry MBE. The duo have already opened 13 hubs and are investing a further £2 million this year to open centres in Leeds and Droylsden. All of her children started swimming lessons as newborns, with her eldest taking the plunge at just three weeks old. According to the champion, the 'sweet spot' to learn to swim is between three and five years old, before children develop fear.
Rebecca recalled her own near-drowning experience after the Beijing 2008 Games, when she got caught in a rip at Bondi Beach in Australia. She said: 'I felt like I was choking... every time a wave crashed it took me under. Even the strongest of swimmers, anything can happen.'
